Seen 17 2 2015

S o u t h E a s t E dd u u cc aattiioonn NNeettw woorrkk

SUPER-CHARGED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAREER PATHWAYS: BRIDGING THE OPPORTUNITY GAP CREATING A BOLD NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM

2015 NATIONAL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR JAYNE ELLSPERMANN BUILDING A CULTURE OF SUCCESS

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Contents Fall 2015 Vol. 17.2

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Columnists

10 Where the Girls Are: It’s Not Where the Jobs Are

By Ruth Herman Wells, M.S.

12 P rofessional Development Which Includes Your Families

By Dr. Joni Samples

14 A merican Bald Eagles Do Flock After All

By Larry Biddle

Interview

16 2 015 National Principal of the Year: A Conversation with Jayne Ellspermann

Professional Development

26 Hiring Effective Principals Begins with an Effective Interview

By Delia Stafford and Valerie Hill-Jackson

30 Fuel Great Teaching This School Year: 5 Keys to Super-Charged Professional Development

By Dr. Michael Moody

57 Company Profiles

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34 Empowering Global-ReadyTeachers

By Anamaria Knight

38 Funding Enhanced Employee Professional Development

By Dr. Phillip E. Geiger

Better Teaching

42 Personalized Learning Starts with the Learner, Not Technology

By Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey

45 New Possibilities For 2025: Transforming the Core of Learning

By Katherine Prince

48 The School That Got It Right

By Gary Surdam

50 Reschool Colorado A Bold Effort to Create a New Education System in Colorado

By Amy Anderson

54 Classroom Management:

Teachers’ Communication Styles

By Donald Perras

Higher Education

64 Thinking About an M.ED.?

5 Things You Need to Know

By Joseph J. Diorio

68 Finding the Niche in Higher Education

By Kathy Ermler

Administrator Resources

72 When Incentives Harm Performance: What Scientists Know That Schools Don’t

By Todd Whitlock 76 Leveraging Educator Talent: Principles from Practice

By Richard W. Lemons

78 Evaluations: The Conversations Have Changed

By Laura Burpo, Keith Ecker, Jane Newblom and Derek Arrowood

80 Central Office: The Missing Key to School Success

By Cathy Minchberg

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Contents STEM

84 Career Pathways: Bridging the Opportunity Gap

By James E. “Gene” Bottoms

88 Connect Students to Employers

By Gretchen Koch

92 Game Development as a Career of Tomorrow

By Roger Christman

94 Visualize Success in Earth Science Week 2015

By Geoff Camphire

Technology

96 Data Essentials: ‘Must Haves’ For a Next Generation Comprehensive Assessment System

By Jason K. Feld

100 Bridging the Digital Divide in High Poverty Schools

By Tiffany Anderson

102 Rethinking the Enterprise Learning Ecosystem

By Joel Hames

Security

104 The Importance of Situational Awareness in K-12 Emergency Operations Planning

By Michael A. Yorio and Frank Trapp

108 The Roadmap to Emergency Preparedness

By Peter Hodes 4

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111 Understanding Cyberbullying Through Immersion: Educate, Empower, Engage

By Sgt. Thomas Rich

114 Addressing Youth Violence for Safer Schools

By Charles Mendez, III

Special Needs

116 Navigating the Behavioral Maze of a Child With Asperger’s Syndrome

By Sylvia R. Smith

118 Common Software Applications for Students with Learning Disabilities

By Steve Gillis

Wellness

120 Nutrition, Fitness and the Autism Spectrum

By Jennifer Croner, Kim Duhanyan, Silva Orchanian and Mary Jane Weiss

124 What’s Going On With Youth Sports?

By Michelle Smith

164 CONFERENCE PLANNER 2015-2016

Educational TRAVEL Experiential LEARNING CAROLINAS

129 The Children’s Museum of Winston Salem 131 One if by Land 133 Edutainment at Carowinds: The ‘Best Day Ever!’

135 Your Students Can Experience a Grand Western Adventure

143 Center for Civil and Human Rights: Shaping the Next Generation of Leaders

146 Fun and Education Opportunities in Florida

148 Excitement in Orlando 152 One of A Kind Music City Experiences 154 Pontchartrain to Grand Isle

137 What to Do Before StudentTravel Goes Awry

138 Game On! 141 The Center for Puppetry Arts Helps Lesson Plans Come to Life

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156 Launch an Inspiring Adventure in Hampton, VA 158 Henricus Historical Park 160 D iscover Colonial Williamsburg 162 Norfolk: The Heart of Virginia Waterfront

APPLES4ED.COM Supporting school projects this fall is as easy as taking a bite from your favorite apple, thanks to U.S. apple growers and friends Buy an Apple, Help a Student this fall when you support Apples for Education. Every time you snack, snap, tag, and share a picture of yourself enjoying an apple or related product, U.S. apple growers will pledge financial support of compelling student causes across the country.

Starting Oct. 1: SNACK, SNAP, TAG, SHARE to vote for your favorite cause!

Selected causes will be profiled on Apples4Ed.com. Raising funds for these causes is as simple as:

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Grab an apple or apple partner product

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Snap a pic enjoying it

TAG

Name your fave project and tag #Apples4Ed

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A Snack for You Makes a Difference for Students Everywhere Now through mid-November, we’ll collect your pics and tally the votes. The cause with the most votes gets the highest donation. All selected projects will receive funds! And, you could win Apple® gift cards and more chances for us to fund your fave project along the way.

Supporting Healthy Bodies and Minds Apples have always been good for your body – and now they are great for hungry minds.

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FROM THE EDITOR Let this be the year that we change our outcomes by changing our expectations – of our staffs, of our students, and especially of ourselves. Instead of accepting the status quo, let’s ask the question “If we were to accomplish this, what would we have to do?” And then let’s try.

It is so true. You never know what you can do until you try. Maybe one of the best examples of what someone can do when they try is Jayne Ellspermann, a new friend and our cover story for this issue. Jayne is the 2015 National Principal of the Year. She went from being a Social Studies teacher to becoming a new principal of a failing high school. Her school, Westport High School in Ocala Florida, had 1400 students. Many of them didn’t want to be there and a large percentage didn’t graduate. Even Jayne’s closest friends wouldn’t send their kids there. It was an almost insurmountable challenge.

But Jayne decided to try. Fast forward several years, and Westport High is an amazing place, with 2600 students who want to be there and who graduate at a 92 percent rate. Now instead of trying to send their kids somewhere else, Westport has parents crying in the office trying to get their kids in. I think you’ll enjoy Jayne’s interview. She’ll share what she did and how she did it. You’ll be inspired, but more importantly, you’ll have some great new resources that you can try as well.

One thing that Jayne knows, and I’ll bet you do too, is that everything we accomplish in education is done through our people.

According to Michael Moody, founder of Insight Education Group, the start of a new school year is an opportune 8

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time to roll out a targeted, meaningful and sustainable professional development program. Such a program can propel teacher growth and successfully accelerate learner outcomes. In his article, Dr. Moody offers five keys to supercharge your PD this year, a surefire way to enhance the value of your professional educators.

While we strive to successfully engage every learner in our current education systems, the State of Colorado has decided to create a new education system from scratch, enlisting the aid of Amy Anderson to direct a project called Reschool Colorado. They are designing a brand new education system that will serve learners – birth to career – and be designed to better prepare people for the world in which we live today and be agile enough to keep up with our global society’s rapid changes.

They are working on a competencybased framework that will create clear expectations and a clear pathway to career.

That clear pathway to a career that Reschool Colorado is building is little more than a rocky trail covered with weeds and briars in most of the country. According to the SREB’s Gene Bottoms, for too many of our young people, high school — the last publicly funded opportunity many have to earn a credential of value in the marketplace — is a bridge to nowhere. In his article, Career Pathways: Bridging the Opportunity Gap, Dr. Bottoms shares eight actions we can take to build career pathways that connect the classroom with the workplace and prepare students to succeed in postsecondary education and 21st-century careers.

I expect great things in this new school year – a year in which we all expand what is possible and create success for every learner - with our hearts, minds, imaginations, grit and determination.

They deserve our best. Can we do it?

You’ll never know until you try.

SOUTHEA ST EDUC ATION NETW ORK

Fall 2015 Editor in Chief Charles Sosnik charles.sosnik@seenmagazine.us Managing Editor Sherry Brooks editing@seenmagazine.us Associate Editor Deirdre Edwards deirdre.edwards@seenmagazine.us Creative Director Monty Todd advertising@seenmagazine.us Resource Coordinators Jean Carter jcarter2@carolina.rr.com Kristin Geppart kristin.geppert@seenmagazine.us Janet Martin jleathmartin@earthlink.net

Knight Communications, Inc. President and Publisher Randall B. Knight rb@baxterknight.com Sales and Marketing DiRECTOR Dennis Taibl dennis@baxterknight.com Business ADMINISTRATOR Lisa Homesley lisa.homesley@baxterknight.com INFORMATION Subscriptions call 866-761-1247 or e-mail lisa.homesley@baxterknight.com Send editorial to editing@seenmagazine.us Advertising inquiries call 866-761-1247 Send ads to advertising@seenmagazine.us CONTENTS All contents © 2015, ISSN# 1552-5333, Knight Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Products named in these pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of SEEN or Knight Communications, Inc. The publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.

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PROBLEM SOLVED

With Ruth Herman Wells, M.S.

Where the Girls Are: It’s Not Where the Jobs Are

Author/Trainer/Adjunct Professor Ruth Herman Wells, M.S. is the Director of Youth Change Professional Development Workshops.

Register for her upcoming Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington workshops at http://www. youthchg.com or email dwells@youthchg.com.

These courses offer $45 college credit and free clock hours, and are also available online any time at http://www.youthchg. com/webinar. Ruth also is a popular speaker at conferences and school inservice workshops, and is available for direct bookings by calling 1-800-545-5736, or book her through several speakers bureaus.

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You constantly hear it in the media: the best jobs are STEM jobs. Over and over, we’re told that for the long haul, STEM jobs will pay the best and be around the longest.

Sounds like a slam-dunk doesn’t it? If you want a stable, higher paying job, get thyself to a science, technology, engineering or math class ASAP. And lots of students are doing just that. So what’s the problem?

The problem is that those students are mainly boys.

Apparently girls and STEM go together like oil and water. It’s easy to see why. Culturally we’ve always had a notion that “girl brains” can’t readily master big old math, science, tech and engineering concepts. Take a quick look around and you can see that the world for girls can easily be bright pink and princess-y, and mostly made out of things like jewelry, clothes, makeup, dating and dieting. Society just doesn’t seem as interested in producing a Sally Ride as it is in producing a Kendall Jenner. Ouch.

So, what is a teacher to do when faced with a female student who would rather focus on the makeup on her face instead of the makeup of outer space? You can take the direct approach and confront the bias directly, but you may have already discovered that can backfire.

The student can end up more entrenched than she was before. You may have learned the hard way that directly confronting a female student’s belief that STEM subjects are too difficult, too boring or too irrelevant, produces pretty much the same result as trying to change an adult’s religion or politics. The outcome tends to be worse than if you had simply done nothing at all.

With that caveat in mind, let me share some indirect approaches that can chip away at the lack of interest in STEM subjects shown by many female students.

Use Humor It can be tough to compete with Revlon and Cover Girl when you’re armed with only equations or test tubes. Compensate with humor. Silly and funny approaches cut through the resistance faster than just words, and these methods are memorable too.To get you started, go to our website to https://www.youthchg. com/teacher-professional-development-resources/ to pick up the printable version of two of my girls’

SouthEast Education Network

STEM motivation posters. They are pictured with this article, but if you go to the link, you can view them in larger size, along with dozens of other powerhouse motivational STEM posters for girls.

Re-Brand When you think of math or science whizzes, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t girls.

Time to re-brand. Have girls research prominent female scientists, mathematicians, astronauts, architects and tech geeks. Make sure each girl notices the many benefits of being a successful female in a STEM field, but also carefully ensure that she focuses on the advantages that are uniquely relevant to her. If a girl craves excitement, adventure, high pay, power and prominence, that’s the STEM job benefits you help her find and examine. You are re-branding in two ways. First, you are creating the concept that females can be incredibly successful and competent in STEM

careers. Second, you are practically marketing STEM jobs much in the way that Revlon and Cover Girl make their offerings so irresistible.

Ride theTide Are you frustrated with girls who are totally obsessed with boys, clothes and social success?

Use what the girls already care about to market STEM to them. For example, for girls who think that school exists solely for dating purposes, you can help them discover that a girl can stand out in heavily male STEM classes.

For girls who love to have an excuse to change into yet another outfit, maybe she’d look great in a lab coat or in coordinated medical scrubs.

Rather than fight the tide, use it to get the girl where you want her to go.

A Dose of Reality Propel your girls into the future where many of today’s jobs won’t exist. Help your girls identify last-century “female” jobs that are no longer available — jobs like telephone operator, typist and stenographer. Next, help the girls to research which jobs are likely to be around longer than those long-gone examples. They will quickly discover that STEM careers are the way to go. Once they make that discovery, ask them if they would rather choose careers that could disappear and leave them jobless, or to choose careers that are not only going to go the distance, but pay better too. Another great activity: Have them research the pay of various STEM jobs and have play money ready to convey exactly how lucrative a STEM job can be. If necessary, help your girls realize how much makeup and clothes all that money can buy.

Girl Power There has been a bit of a “girl power” movement starting and you can jump on board. Create an up swell of interest and ramp up “girl pride.” Surround your students with posters, signs, screen savers, door hangers and other reminders that science,tech, engineering and math can be “STEM Powered by Girls.” You can have students create these items and they can even make humorous creations with funny catch phrases like “Silly Boys, STEM is for Girls.” See dozens of additional examples on our website at http://www.youthchg.com/posters-forgirls/.

So, resolve today to bedazzle STEM in glitter and turn it bright girlie pink. With a little luck, maybe you’ll transform America’s Next Model into America’s next Amelia Earhart.

MASTER OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY Advances In Technology Have Revolutionized The Classroom And Continue To Change The Way Teachers Instruct Their Students.

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• Use computer skills to enhance the instructional process • Apply emerging electronic technologies to the creation of educational media • Participate intelligently in the decision-making process when educational technology applications are being adopted • Train others in the design of electronic documents and WebPages and the use of multimedia

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FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

With Dr. Joni Samples

Professional Development Which Includes Your Families

Dr. Joni Samples is the Chief Academic Officer for Family Friendly Schools. Visit www. familyfriendlyschools.com.

Dr. Samples is a former County Superintendent of Schools, Director of Special Education, teacher, and the author of six books on family engagement.

Today she provides workshops and materials for schools and parents to support a collaborative effort resulting in better, more supported learning for children.

“The Parent Playbook” series specifically addresses activities parents can do at home to support their children in the Common Core Standards.

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As a director of special education, I always found it interesting that I would be planning summer school in January. As a superintendent I found it interesting that I was preparing a budget for the next school year in February. By June I was always pleased I had done the summer school planning and by August I was truly grateful my budget was ready. I suppose it’s not the least bit of a surprise to be planning professional development for next school year during the summer and into the fall. What are the newest and best practices in education? How can I know more about how to implement them? How will it help the students? What else do I need to know?

Professional development (PD) is exactly what it says; developing each and every one of us to be the professional that each of us can be. So I have another question for you to ponder while you’re looking at your PD for the year. Have you included parents in any of your thought processes? For some that might be a surprising question with a sort of “why would I do that thought?” For others it might be a reminder not to forget this group, and for still others it might be, well, of course, we always include parents in our planning.

Why the discrepancy? Why do some schools include parents in their thinking while others don’t? What’s the difference, and why would we want to include them?

Professional development is developing each of us to be a professional, and for most of us we know education is a profession. We come to work every day. We receive a paycheck for the work we do. It’s listed in all the applications as a profession of choice when we’re filling out forms. Parents aren’t really professionals. There’s no time clock. There’s no check at the end of the month or any professional listing for a job entitled parent. Yet any parent will tell you about the number of hours for no pay and no recognition. They will also tell you it is very definitely a job, a labor of love perhaps, but it does require time, skill, understanding and patience. And there’s always more to learn.

Let me give you a quick example of that parenting job. Last week my 30-year-old daughter called at 11:00 p.m. I had been up a little later than usual and heard the phone ring. No one calls me that late

SouthEast Education Network

unless something is wrong. It was. It required a trip to the emergency room with me entertaining a scared granddaughter and checking on an equally scared mom.

Parenting doesn’t come with a manual with a chapter on “trips to the emergency room,” where you can look up all the possible answers and calmly know what to do.

Where do you learn how to handle that sort of thing?

If you think about it, the question could just as easily come at 7:00 p.m. and been how do I help with math.

The homework is beyond me.

If there’s more to learn, especially about parenting and stressful situations, whether it’s emergency rooms or homework, why aren’t we as the educators teaching?

Our job, our profession is to teach, yet often we think that teaching is just teaching a subject to the class in front of us or the students in each of the periods we have in our first year English or perhaps math program or making sure the students in our school have the knowledge to pass tests. That’s a lot in itself, but what if we were to expand our teaching to the parents.

What if we could help the parents learn to navigate emergencies, handle stressful situations a bit better, help their children with math, or just be there when a child needed to be heard? Wouldn’t that sort of learning, that professional development for the parents, pay off for both the parents and for us? Oh, yes and what a payoff for the child!

So if you’re looking at your professional development for the year, where could you add professional parent development? How about a workshop for the staff on how to talk with parents? A book called “Words Can Change Your Brain” describes the use of compassionate communication, a very useful skill for dealing with parents and/or your spouse! How about a workshop for support staff on how to handle situations when a very angry parent shows up at the front desk? Or how about one for parents on how to handle stressful situations at home? What about a one-on-one chat about math and how to do the homework activities or how what we’re doing now is like and yet different from what a parent did in school.

I’m truly convinced after working with parents and schools for years, that when the two work together to

Professional development (PD) is exactly what it says; developing each and every one of us to be the professional that each of us can be. provide effective professional development collaboratively everyone benefits.

Communication improves and better relationships make decision-making easier and more supportable by everyone — school and community alike. Those relationships then make learning easier for the child.

What else could you provide? One school I worked with out of the country simply asked their parents what they wanted. They expected answers like reading or math. The answer — breast cancer awareness — threw those in the school off.

Why and how could they do that? They did. They put together a workshop and the mothers came. And then they asked for more. Eventually the school and parents were clearly collaborating on what to offer.

Students were on a waiting list to get in to the school, test scores were up and the parents were fully behind the school and what it provided. Everyone wins.

What else? Perhaps you could do what Alief Independent School District does every year. They sponsor a day called Parent University where there are breakout sessions and guest speakers for staff and parents to learn new skills. Many of you provide Parent University throughout the year. Now we’re talking professional development.

My goal here is to get you to think, to include the parents in your thinking, to create new ideas about how to reach and teach even beyond the classroom yet still supporting the students in that classroom with every thought. So what will you do this year with Profession Parent Development?

Design Your Collaborative Learning Spaces

The HuddleVU system allows for multiple users to share and view their laptops, tablets, and smart phone screens on a main display. Unlike convention presentation systems, anyone participating can be a presenter or the audience at any given time at the push of a button. Collaborative learning technologies are enhancing the way students absorb, retain, interact with and relate to information.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE REMARKABLE HUDDLEVU SYSTEM, VISIT WWW.FSRINC.COM/INNERHTML/COLLABORATIONTOOLS.HTML

where past & present create the future “I feel that I am in between two worlds – part of the Roma community that deals with exclusion and marginalization but also personally integrated and included in Romanian society. At the same time, I have this wonderful opportunity to be a student at a great school such as Vanderbilt. I see Vanderbilt as a place where you have the flexibility and constant support to become who you want to become.

You can take a step back and train yourself for what will be next.”

-Cristiana Grigore, M.Ed. ‘12

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13

CELEBRATING IMPROVEMENT

With Larry Biddle

American Bald Eagles Do Flock After All

Larry Biddle is considered the founder of Jostens Renaissance.

He has been a student of the impact of recognition on individual achievement for two decades. He served as vice-chairman of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, as well as a member of the Coastal Education Foundation at CCU. Reach him at 4eagleship1@gmail.com

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According to historic documents at The Sheldon Museum in Alaska, almost 4,000 American bald eagles gather along a five mile stretch of the Chilkat River near Haines and Klukwan, Alaska each fall. This great wildlife spectacle is the largest gathering of bald eagles in the world. Attracted by a late run of spawning chum salmon, eagles come from all over Alaska, British Columbia, and as far away as the state of Washington.

Warm water upwelling in the river bottom keeps some stretches of the Chilkat ice-free through the winter, providing a diet of salmon carcasses when food supplies elsewhere are exhausted. Starting in late October, hundreds and hundreds of eagles can be seen along the sandbars or in nearby cottonwood trees. Two dozen or more eagles in a single tree are not uncommon. Next year the gathering of Eagles leading Jostens Renaissance schools and communities will gather in Orlando, Florida for our 25th anniversary of an initiative that started as the #1 Program at Conway High School in Conway, South Carolina — the Eagles of North American education and North American business continue their quest for more results for more students and “staffulty.”

For over 25 years we all have been gathering to learn and challenge each other to provide recognition for excellence in improvement as well as achievement for all students and staffulty.

As another fall semester opens, one of the quintessential tenets in Renaissance remains, “Unless we grow our people, we will not grow our institutions — churches, schools, businesses, governing bodies and entire communities.” We have proposed, “If you don’t mind, we’d like to improve your organization’s results.

Your own future depends on recognizing the most valuable resource in business — your people!” For over 25 years we have maintained that our schools are the most important businesses in town for the future of our nation. It’s not the board rooms but rather our classrooms that drive a future for young North Americans. We say North American because Canadian Renaissance schools continue to weave our essential elements into their school communities as well.

As we consider providing authentic Staffulty Development for our schools it is imperative that we draw on some key components from “The Leader of the Future” by The Drucker Foundation that provide a tone for personal growth and development: The only definition of a leader is someone who has

SouthEast Education Network

followers. Some people are thinkers. Some are prophets.

Both roles are important and badly needed. But without followers there can be no leaders.

An effective leader is not someone who is loved or admired. He or she is someone whose followers do the right things right. Popularity is not leadership. Results are.

Leaders are highly visible. Therefore they set examples.

Leadership is not rank, privilege, title or money. It is responsibility.

As a graduate of Saint Mary’s College of California and Middlebury College Language Schools in Vermont and in Madrid, Spain, I was schooled in the Great Books every semester. C. Bradley Thompson at Minding the Campus points to a new plan for higher education at Clemson University. The Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism (CISC) has created the Lyceum Scholars Program, which is America’s first (and only) academic program dedicated to studying the moral, political, and economic foundations of a free society. Drawing inspiration from the Lyceum school founded by Aristotle, the scholars take a Great Books approach to studying liberty, the American founding, capitalism, and moral character. This leading edge initiative will expose students to the thoughts that have withstood an authentic test of time for centuries. A clear indication can be found in Alexis de Tocqueville’s, “Democracy in America” written in 1831, based on a nine-month excursion in Jacksonian America, according to Arthur Milikh, Assistant Director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics at the Heritage Foundation. The purpose of this trip was to study our country’s political institution and the habits of mind of its citizens. Milikh states that we often boast about having attained some unimaginable redefinition of ourselves and our nation. How odd, then, that someone born 210 years ago today could understand us with more clarity and depth than we understand ourselves. Alexis deTocqueville’s insights are so prophetic it is uncanny!

Tocqueville correctly thought the then-developing America was the way of the future. As such, he foresaw that Europe would never be restored to its former greatness — though he hoped it could serve as the cultural repository of the West. Despite his hopes for America, Tocqueville feared grave obstacles would diminish our freedom — though he didn’t think them insurmountable. Most alarming to him was the power of the majority, which he thought would distort every sphere

of human life. Despots of the past tyrannized through blood and iron. But the new breed of democratic despotism “does not proceed in this way; it leaves the body and goes straight for the soul.” That is, the majority reaches into citizens’ minds and hearts. It breaks citizens’ will to resist, to question its authority, and to think for themselves. The majority’s moral power makes individuals internally ashamed to contradict it, which in effect silences them, and this silencing culminates in a cessation of thinking. We see this happen almost daily: to stand against the majority is to ruin oneself.

These observations help us take stock of where we are with respect to teaching and learning—the reasons that our schools were built. Far too often the policies and procedures take precedence over our mission to prepare our students for their futures and to grow our staffulty. At Renaissance schools we make sure that we fill staffulty cups every day! How can our staffulties grow our students when their cups are so often empty?

Effective staff development goes broad and deep as it drills down into who we are as a free nation.

Bobby Chandler, a personal friend for many years and a very respected former history teacher at Socastee High School, consistently challenged governance in the Horry County Schools due to the myriad policies that continue to strip creativity from our staffulties (staff+teachers). Holding up a small binder containing 60 pages of board policies approved by the Horry County Board of Education, he stated that a second larger binder contains 277 pages of district policies approved by the superintendent. Together, both constituted legal requirements, which affected all the citizens of our district, yet no citizen had any direct, representative input into the development and approval of any of the district policies. He reminded all of us that he did not work for the board of education, the superintendent, the principal or the department head but rather, for the tax payers who entrusted their children to his confidence, competence and care. His comments indeed go to the core of teaching young students the principles of liberty in our American system. Our schools are in the People Building Business: parents, students, staffulty, administration, and the entire community. In Renaissance schools we know it as Eagleship for all stakeholders.

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Principal leadership

A Conversation With

Jayne Ellspermann 16

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The SEEN Interview with Charles Sosnik Jayne Ellsperman is the 2015 National Principal of the Year. She took a badly underperforming school of 1400 students in Florida and transformed it into the highest performing school in her district. She now has a graduation rate of 92 percent. Her school now has 2600 students and a long waiting list of parents who want to bring their children there.

Charles: I’ve been reading a lot about you. You’ve been in the press a good bit over the last three months or so. It appears that your press is bringing up some very good points. I read your comments in the Hechinger Report on the need for the Common Core and how the Common Core went well in Florida.

That is a good thing to get out in the national news because people think that the Common Core is dead. It’s kind of the general perception. You are big supporter of it, aren’t you?

Jayne: I am. I really think that we all need to focus on what standards we expect for students to achieve by the time they graduate from high school.

Knowing that we expect all of our students to either continue their education or go into the workforce with a good strong skill set, that if we are all on the same page we will be able to help our students be successful when they leave us.

That’s what my goal is. I want all students to be successful when they graduate from West Port High School. I want them to leave here with no regrets and I really want to build students that will exceed their own perceived potential. So, it’s really important to me that we have some type of common language about what our expectations are for all students when they graduate from high school, not just from my school, but from all schools.

Charles: You just said a very interesting thing. How do you get them to exceed their perceived potential? I would imagine the way you would do that would be to get them to change the way they perceive their potential. Is that correct?

Jayne: Absolutely. I think that it’s often very easy to allow students to accept the minimum in themselves. I think that it is important that you build a school culture where students see beyond what they originally thought was all that they could achieve. We do that all the time in schools. I think that you get what you focus on. I believe in strongly focusing on helping students see beyond what they thought were their limits. That is really important. And I think that is one of the things that the concept of the Common Core was, it is rigorous, and it is asking us to do things with our students at a younger and younger age.

But we don’t know what they are capable of unless we challenge them.

Charles: You consciously build school cultures?

Jayne: Deliberately. Intentionally. Everything is done purposely and intently, you can’t just assume that things will happen; you have to create the structure so that you can have that type of success. You just can’t say, “I would like for students to graduate from high school.” You then have to identify those students who may not think of themselves as high school graduates and you have to purposely and with laser focus go after those students. You can’t let students leave themselves behind. I think that sometimes it is easy, especially in a big school like ours. It takes a tremendous effort for all of our staff to do that but we gain a lot of success because we don’t allow students to minimize their own potential.

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Jayne: It’s pretty exciting to be looking at what we can do and the difference we can make. I think that the challenge for me is to ensure that my staff understands that we are not just touching the future, we are creating the future by developing young people in such a way that they can be creative thinkers, that they understand how to work through challenges. That excitement of being able to create that future based on the students that we have on our campus, it generates a lot of energy. It generates a lot of enthusiasm because the people I work with at Westport High School understand that we are on a mission. That mission is going to impact not just our community, not just our state, not just our country, but potentially we can have global impact with the young people we have and the fact that high school is the last place where an institution can impact individuals.

I think that we have four years and a tremendous amount of time that we invest in creating the young people that are going to go out and potentially change the world. We want to make sure that we have them thinking about their future in a really positive way and seeing themselves as young people that are not chained by their past or held back by their zip codes or where their parents were born.

It is there for them to take. That is really pretty exciting.

Charles: A good friend of mine, and one of our columnists for about seven years has a term he calls “staffulty.” What he means by that term is every single person on the campus from the cafeteria worker to the janitorial staff; everyone is on the same team. Does your team include these folks?

Jayne: Absolutely. I think that it’s really important. The folks who are feeding our children, our nutrition team, really believe that they are making sure that our students have the nourishment they need in order to be successful. They take the choices that they make, the food they offer, the input they get from students to make sure they are providing food that is nutritious and what the students want to eat. They go out of their way to say, “Hey, we would really like to set up a kiosk in another part of campus so we can reach more students.”

Everything is a team, from the folks who greet people when they walk in the door, that sets the tone for what it is like to be 18

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at Westport High School. Everyone on our campus, regardless of the job that they do is singularly important and has a role in the success that we have on our campus. It is important that everyone understands that we’re all part of the team. Just like on a football team, not everyone is the quarterback, but every single person on that team is responsible for whether or not that team wins or loses. That is what we are, a team, and everybody works together.

If it wasn’t for all of the other people that are doing the ancillary responsibilities, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do in our classrooms.

Charles: We often talk about stakeholders and who the stakeholders are. One of the crazy things is that in those discussions we don’t mention the parents and the extended family. What do you do to create parental engagement and make parents part of the team?

Jayne: I think that communication is key. Parents need to understand their role as partners in our journey with their children. We’ve got to understand that there are 24 hours in a day and we have the children for part of the day and the other part of the day they are with their parents. The more information we can give the parents the more successful we can be. We really work to make sure that parents are informed partners. We do that by making sure that parents have access to a portal, that our teachers have websites that have updo-date information, that we have parents who are following us on twitter and liking us on Facebook. We use social media to reach out to our parents as well as traditional media such as our website. We make sure our website has information that parents would want to know such as dates and times and who to get in touch with for different things. All of those things are really important so that our parents feel connected. The other piece is how parents feel when they come on our campus, that they understand that they are welcome. We also have a wealth of roles that our parents can play. We have a plethora of booster clubs and advisory councils so our parents can pick and choose to which ones they would like to belong. They are very inclusive so that everyone has a job. If you say you would like to do something at Westport High School, we will find a place for you.

Beyond the parents, we also have mentors that come in. We have a wonderful retired community that surrounds our school.

Embracing those folks as well is important to our success because

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Managing and using DATA if we can pair students with individuals that would like to continue to stay in touch with young people, that will improve our success as well. We bus retired people into our school and take them on tours of the school. We let them sit in classes. We want our school community to be part what we’re doing here at Westport.

Transparency is really important. We have teachers that welcome hordes of visitors because they are proud of what we are doing in the classroom. They make those people feel welcome when they come into our classrooms. Seeing the interaction of our students with our visitors, those are all things that build that sense of “we’re all in this together” and we can be proud of the work we are doing in public education.

Charles: When you started at your high school you had 1400 students and now you have 2600 students. You went from being the lowest performing school in your district to becoming the consistently highest performing school in your district. When you look back now at your journey, do you every say “Wow, I can’t believe we did this?”

Jayne: When I came I knew that there was great potential.

Whenever you have a group of young people, that potential is there. You just have to unlock it. I think that one of the things that I really felt was that the staff needed to be encouraged and know that they have the capacity to impact these students at a greater level. To be able to unleash the potential in the staff, to also reach

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out to the public, that was very important too. When I first came here good dear friends of mine would say, “Jayne, I love you and you’re my dearest friend, I live in your attendance area, but my child is not going to your school.” That hurt my heart because I knew what potential we had. Now, unfortunately I have parents crying in the front office saying, “what can I do to get my child into this school?” That journey that went from being a school where people were looking for any other option to being a school where people are literally lined up trying to come here is a testament to what our staff and our children were capable of doing. Just finding the key to unlock that potential has truly been the reward of the journey.

We still have some miles to go. Until 100 percent of our students are graduating on time, and right now it is about 92 percent, until 100 percent are proficient, there is work that we can still do. So, that in itself is energizing, knowing that we are still on the journey and there is still more that we can do. I wish we had the room and the space so we could take every child that wanted to come to our school, because being where you want to go to school has tremendous impact on your ability to be successful as well.

Charles: You know what would be even better than that, if we could make all schools like your school. Is that in the realm of possibility? Why couldn’t all schools be like Westport?

Jayne: I think that one of the things that happens to schools

is that they do underestimate their potential. When I first came here we had some tremendous discipline issues. When you really dig down deep, discipline issues, attendance issues, all of those things start to darken the culture of a school. All go back to a huge cloud of despair hanging over students because they don’t believe in themselves and they’ve given up and they are not looking for those glimmers of opportunity. I think that the first thing that you do is you find those little diamonds in the rough.

You shine them up and then you begin to let people feel that success. Finding that diamond and being able to work with him or her — every child has that in them and we just need to figure out what it is.

We deal with neighborhoods that are depressed because of lack of resources. They are dealing with extreme poverty, and those are challenges. But within those challenges you can find those opportunities and you can start to turn around a school.

I believe that every school has that potential to turn around. I think the other thing that happens is we may give up too quickly.

I’ve been fortunate to be at this school for a significant amount of time and I think that it’s important for a school to have consistent leadership so that you can continue to encourage, you know where you have come from and you can see where you need to go.

Oftentimes principals leave after one, two or three years and that doesn’t allow the school to really take root in the changes that they need to make in order to start turning it around and to maintain that consistent improvement.

Charles: I very much agree with that. Without that consistency, what you’re doing is training staff to not even try new things because they know from experience if they don’t try those new things, those will be gone and other new things will be there.

Unless you have some consistency to set policy and enforce it and then support it in a loving way, I don’t think you can get anywhere.

Jayne: I think that is one of the challenges we have right now.

We need school districts to allow school leaders to stay long enough to maintain consistent change and that takes five to eight years.

You can have that quick flash upswing, but if you’re not there to maintain it and to grow it, you’re not going to have the change that you need and the ability to sustain it. I think that schools have the ability to maintain. Once you turn a school around and it’s been maintained it will be able to continue itself. But when it is at risk and it is in that beginning stage of changing and turning, you need to be able to nurture that with some consistency.

Charles: You mentioned you have a 92 percent graduation rate, which to me is absolutely phenomenal. There are schools throughout the southeast and throughout America that have graduation rates of 50 to 60 percent, particularly in certain communities and it’s as if nobody is even talking about it. I think that is abhorrent. I know that’s a strong word, but when you have 50 percent of your African American males and 60 percent of your Latino males not graduating high school, you have to say that there is something wrong in this high school.

Jayne: I think that what changed for us was when we had to decide what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. The other thing that is challenging for us is that we have a six period day, which means that students have 24 chances to earn 24 credits. We don’t have extra periods in our day that allow students to earn extra credits to help with graduation. When students come here they have to make sure that they are passing six out of six credits every single year in order to graduate. So it’s a little bit more challenging. I think that it is also a blessing because every student understands that they have to get it right every single period. For

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those students that are struggling and may not be doing what they need to do, we have “student success chats” where we pull the student in, and the teacher and myself or another administrator will sit with the student. We have the student develop their plan for success so that they understand what they need to do in order to be successful.

The other thing that we have here is something called “power hour.”

Charles: That is the lunch program that I read about.

Jayne: Exactly. It is key to our success because it gives students autonomy and it allows them to use their time as they see fit.

It gives them time to get that extra help with the teachers. It gives them time to develop relationships. It also gives them an opportunity to take on some more rigorous coursework than they might normally select because they know they are going to have extra study sessions, extra time, time to collaborate.

Also, we have a purposeful, intent laser focus on students when they begin to not do well.

If a student stops coming to school we are on the phone.

We send out a social worker.

Somebody goes out and visits to find out what is going on with that particular student.

We don’t just allow them to disappear because that’s when you end up with high dropout rates and low graduation rates. Students disappear and once they are not visible to the teachers they fall off our radar. They stop coming to school and they stop turning in work.

There are students that will work very hard to try to make themselves invisible. It is up to us to make sure that we see every single child and we go after them. I know that I’ve had my guidance counselor and my dean check out of school because they have a child who has stopped coming to school and he’s working a job down the road. They will go to that work place and sit down with that employer and that child and say “we need a plan to get this child back in school, let’s see what we can do here.”

Charles: That’s very unusual. How do the employers react?

Jayne: They are really good. Usually the student doesn’t let them know that he has just stopped coming to school so he can get the hours he needs because his family needs the money. We recognize that. When you have children coming from poverty, the person who is bringing in money is the person who is creating the stability in the family and we don’t want to take away from that. But we have ways we can help that family and help that child that the child may not be aware of. We have to be tuned in to 2600 children and we can’t let any of them disappear.

That’s just part of our mission, making sure that we’re staying with 22

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those children and they know that we’re going to follow up and we’re going to try and help them create whatever solution they need in order to be successful.

Charles: Through this conversation, I have now figured out why you are successful. May I tell you?

Jayne: Please.

Charles: I’ve talked with a lot of educators over my career, a lot of teachers, and a lot of principals in particular because that is our biggest audience segment, and a lot of superintendents. During this conversation your entire focus has been on the child. It’s not on administration and it’s not on budgets. You never once mentioned either of those things. It is 100 percent on the child and the success of the child. In my humble opinion, which really isn’t so humble when you get to know me, that has a lot to do with your incredible success. Would you agree with that?

Jayne: I would say that’s my passion and why I believe I was put here on this earth is to create opportunities for others to be successful. I really take that responsibility very seriously because I want everyone, my staff members, and the children, to exceed their own perceived potential. I want the children and I want everyone to be successful. I want them to be happy about what they are doing. I want them to look back on their life with no regrets because they were able to challenge themselves and take risks in a safe environment where we learn from mistakes and move forward and that’s what I want to do for the people I work with. I want to create that environment where we all look forward, we learn from the past but we constantly look forward to how we can improve and how can we do better. So that in the long run at the end of our days we will have made the world a better place.

Charles: You now have an even greater opportunity to do that as you take the helm at the National Association of Secondary School Principals. You should be very excited about that I would imagine.

Jayne: I am but it is bittersweet. Doing that takes away from the opportunity to be involved directly at a school. That’s one of those things in which I have to feel comfortable. Anytime you take time away from the school, it is time that you don’t have that connection with the students. I am extremely excited and I am honored and I feel a challenge to create for all school leaders that confidence to forge ahead and embrace the challenges that we have to help all schools be successful. There is still a part of me that goes, “Yeah, but I want to be at school every single day. At my school every single day.” And that for me is difficult.

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I don’t like this I want to have my classroom back and he said of course. I never looked back because I did see the potential to be able to help more people be successful and impact more students.

Charles: I think that little bit of regret is very common for successful people who are hands on and move to higher positions. In your case, what is it, a one or two-year commitment and then you rotate out? How does that work at NASSP?

Charles: Didn’t you have that same feeling when you went from being a social studies teacher to becoming principal? I guess sometimes you have to let go of that direct control in order to help more people. This gives you the opportunity to help almost every secondary school in America. You will help a lot more children and you will still be at your school.

Jayne: Yes and that is what I hang on to because the deal that I made with my principal when I came out of the classroom was if

Jayne: It will be one year. I am also looking forward to seeing the great things that are going on. In public education we face tremendous challenges and it is really easy to focus on the challenges.

I think that the public needs to know the opportunities and the success and the victories. I think in our quest to be able to do more we do sometimes over-focus on those challenges because we need more resources to help move past those challenges and to conquer them. But I think there are so many great things going on in our schools that need to be celebrated and to let our nation know that our future is in good hands. That these young people are creative and they are visionary and they are prepared to be good stewards of our globe and that there are so many great things out there.

That’s the message that people need to know so that they can have confidence in our public education and what we’re doing in our schools every single day.

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Professional Development

HIRING EFFECTIVE PRINCIPALS BEGINS WITH AN EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW

By Delia Stafford and Valerie Hill-Jackson Core beliefs, linked to behavior, are the best predictors of aspiring principals’ performance. In the following article, we outline why the principal interview matters, point out how the Haberman Star Principal Interview Questionnaire (HSPIQ) effectively differentiates a “star” principal from a “qualified principal,” and impart how the HSPIQ is anchored in years of sound research and development.

The Principal Interview Matters Schools are only as effective as the school leadership. Since leadership matters, why leave the interviewing of principals and school administrators to answers that can be practiced and behaviors that can be feigned? Dr. Martin Haberman (19322012) distinguished professor emeritus, a researcher who was based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, spent four decades examining research regarding principal 26

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successes and failures, specifically in urban settings. Haberman believed that “selection of the right principals ‘up front’ is even more important than training.”

The identification and selection of qualified school leaders is one of the primary goals for K-12 school systems dictated by national mandates like “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top.” However, researchers and practitioners are quickly learning that the qualified principal is not enough in today’s school environment. Despite the various calls by leading accountability agencies to improve the hiring selection process, school districts remain ill equipped to identify star principals on a large scale.

Haberman, in his book, “Star Principals Serving Children in Poverty,” states: “The attributes of star principals, which make them effective against all odds and in spite of irrational pressures, are more than behaviors. They are behaviors undergirded by an ideology. The ideology and behaviors

are interwoven; they are of a piece. The connection between what star principals do and how they think about what they do cannot be broken. In other words, educators who believe they can learn the “magic” behaviors without having the belief system that goes with it are wasting their time. Conversely, those who would assume that, because they agree with the ideology, they could automatically perform as star principals are equally deluded. Star principals are doers and thinkers.”

The truth is those proven instruments do matter when it comes to choosing school leaders that are more than qualified, but are stars. The demographic mandate dictated by the increasing diversity among K-12 students requires a new school leader archetype that can meet the needs of various marginalized learners. This type of futurist school leadership must be creative and adapt to the mutating demands of local political, social and educational environments — and the neo

Figure 1

Core Beliefs/ Ideology

f

Behaviors

Haberman’s 11 Core Functions of School Leaders

Figure 1. Haberman’s 11 functions as a product of school leaders’ core beliefs and behaviors. Source: “Better Principals, Better Schools: What Star Principals Know, Believe and Do” (Information Age Publishers, in press)

American learner — concurrently. Quite simply, a star principal is a 21st century administrator who has evolved from a white collar administrator into a community worker due to the expanding responsibilities associated with the job.

School districts around the nation use a variety of interview instruments to select school leaders and they cannot afford to get the principal interview wrong. The interview, undergirded by a strong interview instrument, is paramount to selecting the right principal for the job and placing the prospective K-12 school on a trajectory of academic success and overall school improvement. Many district leaders believe that any rote set of interview questions, pulled from the Internet or a “how to” book will suffice, and are pre-occupied with leadership theory that supports a singular and insufficient focus on principal behavior. Being a star principal is more than conveying suitable behaviors and characteristics, which may elude any poorly crafted interview instrument.

Core Beliefs and Behaviors: The Haberman Star Principal Interview Questionnaire Dr. Martin Haberman developed the Haberman Star Principal Interview Questionnaire. He conducted exit interviews of principals who were leaving the profession.

His research revealed the qualities and characteristics needed for administrators to address children coming from diverse backgrounds, particularly those from urban poverty. From this research he developed key dispositions, or core beliefs, tied to behaviors that principals in urban settings need to be successful.

Those dispositions include the following: (1) Leadership (2) Commitment to student learning (3) Theory into practice

(4) Role of the school serving students in poverty (5) Curriculum and instructional leadership (6) Creating a positive school climate and fighting burnout (7) Evaluation/accountability (8) Decision making (9) Fallibility (10) Administrative style (11) Administrative relations with parents and community.

Figure 1 demonstrates the way in which principals’ core beliefs are tethered to behaviors. In a new book due out later this year, “Better Principals, Better Schools: What Star Principals Know, Believe and Do,” we share accounts of star principals who articulate how star principals’ ideology and behavior are different from qualified principals. Decades of credible research serve as the foundation for Haberman’s 11 core functions, which frame the HSPIQ. Research and Development The development of the HSPIQ questionnaire involved merging the knowledge and research base with the most effective practices of star urban principals. The research and theory base was summarized in the 24 domains of the Knowledge and Skill Base and laid out in “Principals for Our Changing Schools” published by The National Policy Board for Educational Administration. Star urban principals in three great city school

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districts were identified: 27 in Houston, 18 in Milwaukee and 84 in Chicago. Star principals were invited to participate using the following criteria: achievement scores had risen in their schools for a three year period; they were rated by their faculties as effective instructional leaders; central office personnel identified them as accountable fiscal managers; and parents described them as effective in developing community support for their schools.

These stars then engaged in a process of explaining their effective leadership behaviors. They participated in consensus building activities, which involved grouping, and ranking the performance functions that they believed constituted best practice and which they believed explained their success.

The domains of the written knowledge base and the functions performed by the urban principals were then synthesized into 11 functions. This synthesis represents the functions that star urban teachers identified as their effective behaviors, which can also be supported in the research literature.

Questions designed to assess the 11 functions of star urban principals were then developed to assess this synthesis of research and practice. In order to validate that the content of the questions dealt with the content they purported to be assessing, all the principals of the Milwaukee Public Schools in 2001 (167) were personally interviewed by Haberman over a period of 53 days. This process established content validity. Respondents, regardless of their level of administrative effectiveness, agreed that the questions dealt with the stated functions.

The results of this study indicated that the effective functions cited by star principals that were also supported in the literature, were indeed communicating common meanings to respondents. In addition, all question wordings that were ambiguous were clarified or discarded. In an ancillary study, 51 assistant principals were also interviewed.

In spite of the fact that assistant principals were typically relegated to disciplinary duties, they identified 10 of the 11 functions on the questionnaire as explanations of star principals’ effectiveness.

In addition to establishing content validity, this lengthy, in-depth process also provided a pool of responses to the same questions from principals deemed to be less than satisfactory as well as responses from star principals.

Unsatisfactory or “failure” principals were those with attributes opposite to stars: their schools had declining achievement; they were not regarded as instructional leaders by their faculties; they were identified by central office administrators as “in trouble”; and they were not supported by their parents and communities. These were individuals in the process of retiring, being assigned principal coaches or being moved out of schools and reassigned.

As a result of these procedures, 11 functions representing sound theory and practice were developed into valid interview questions. Since our studies had included both stars and failure principals’ responses it was also possible to score responses. The scores reflect the degree to which respondents’ answers are closer to those made by star urban principals or to those made by failure principals to the same questions.

These procedures required one year to accomplish. At the conclusion of the year the questionnaire was taken back to the original three groups of star principals in

Houston, Chicago and Milwaukee. The numbers of these groups had declined slightly with two less in Houston, one less in Milwaukee and eight less in Chicago.

The star principals were asked to repeat the very same process they had engaged in initially; that is, they engaged in a process of consensus building in which they identified and ranked the behaviors they believed explained their effectiveness.

The results of these activities indicated that the behaviors star urban principals had identified the previous year were the same ones they identified a year later.

The second finding was that the answers of all the initial respondents identified as stars were, in every case, closer to the star respondents identified in the Milwaukee sample than to the responses of the failing principals. The third finding was that the questionnaire could be administered with inter-rater reliability; different interviewers scored respondents answers in the same ways.

In sum, the developmental approach followed here has yielded a questionnaire

which synthesizes what the knowledge base indicates makes principals effective and what star urban principals themselves identify as explanations for their success.

When this synthesis was replicated one year later it yielded the same explanations of success. The interview questions developed from this synthesis have content validity for both star principals and failure principals. The scoring of respondents is reliable when used by various questioners who have been trained to use the interview.

The list of school districts using the HSPIQ is available from the Haberman Educational Foundation. Each district can also provide its own data on the predictive value of the instrument. This scenariobased interview assesses the dispositions named above and may be suitable for your school district.

To learn more about the questionnaire visit us at http://www.habermanfoundation. org/ or contact Delia Stafford, President and CEO, at dstafford@altcert.org.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

G N I H C A E T T A E R G FUEL R A E Y L O O H C S S I TH ER-CHARGED P 5 KEYS TO SU L DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONA

By Dr. Michael Moody

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With a growing body of research showing that teachers are the most important determinant of student achievement, new and more rigorous teacher evaluation systems and policies have been implemented across the country. At the same time, many educators feel they lack the right resources and support needed to meet the demands of today’s classrooms and heightened learning standards.

No one would ever expect a golfer to improve his score by taking away half of his clubs, so how can anyone expect a teacher to do more with less support? While there’s certainly no lack of professional learning programs and resources available, most unfortunately prove to be inadequate and ineffective at stimulating real growth.

Multiple studies have confirmed in the last several years that the quality of support a teacher receives is directly correlated to his or her effectiveness in the classroom. But this doesn’t simply refer to one event in time.

Rather, it’s about the larger plan and support system consistently in place for educators and whether or not a true culture of growth exists across a school or district.

In order for professional development to work, leaders must address high-yield instructional strategies aligned to the specific needs of their staff in a positive, supportive and collaborative environment. This may seem like a daunting task, and it is. But the start of a new school year is an opportune time to set the right tone and roll out a targeted, meaningful, and sustainable PD program that propels teachers’ growth and accelerates student outcomes.

When planning for professional development, it’s absolutely essential for district and school leaders to be intentional in aligning programs to the greater vision, acutely aware of teachers’ real needs, and focused on growth. Just as we understand the benefits of backwards lesson design when planning instruction for students, the most successful PD is developed with outcomes in mind.

If you’re interested in building a truly effective, super-charged professional development plan for the upcoming school year, here are the five things you need to focus on now and why.

1. Establish a Growth-Based Mindset Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck has determined that people fall somewhere on a continuum between two www.seenmagazine.us

opposing mindsets — fixed and growth — that is based on their understanding of where ability comes from. Not surprisingly, their mindset has a significant bearing upon their understanding of success and failure.

While Dweck’s work is most often applied to student learning, it equally applies to teachers’ professional learning.

In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic abilities, intelligence, and talents are inborn traits, and therefore fear failure and believe weaknesses reflect badly upon themselves as individuals. People with a growth mindset, however, understand that they can develop their intelligence and abilities over time through effort and persistence, so they embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Just as educators can model a growth mindset with students, school and district leaders can model this belief through their actions. In doing so they cultivate a community of practice that values new ideas, risk-taking, and feedback.

Above all, administrators and teachers must see themselves as learners.

To foster a growth mindset, create opportunities that encourage colleagues to share ideas and best practices with each other in a comfortable, non-threatening environment, and allow time for meaningful self-reflection. For this outlook to permeate the school or district, it must be purposefully built into the professional development plan and program.

2. Conduct an Instructional Needs Analysis Professional development programs should not be merely a collection of disconnected events. They should be part of a coherent, focused program that drives toward particular outcomes for each staff member and serves the overall vision for the school or district.

Similarly to educators differentiating instruction for students in their classrooms, professional learning opportunities for teachers must also be tailored to their unique needs and classroom environments. To achieve this level of specificity, school and district leadership must have a full and accurate understanding of staff needs coupled with areas of opportunity identified through: • Student achievement data • School improvement plans • Teacher goals and evaluation data SouthEast Education Network

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• District/community/school initiatives (e.g.,Common Core, innovation with technology, blended learning) • Research and best practices • Teacher/participant feedback and needs assessments (e.g., surveys) By ensuring that professional development content is directly applicable to teachers’ individual practices and establishing expectations for follow-through, participants will be engaged in the learning rather than simply compliant.

Remember that for it to lead to lasting improvement, professional development needs to be inextricably linked to real needs and shared visions of success of each unique school or district.

3. Provide Ongoing, Differentiated Professional Development Offerings Once learning goals, instructional skills and needs are identified leaders can begin to develop a strategic, long-term program of professional development focused on continuous learning and systematic change. Keeping in mind that programs should build upon existing skills rather than replace them, professional learning plans should emphasize continuous development, rather than onetime sit-and-get experiences.

Teachers need the opportunity to evaluate the effects of new information and acquired strategies, with the mutual understanding that adjustments can be made along the way and new lessons can always be learned.

In order for professional development to work, leaders must address high-yield instructional strategies aligned to the specific needs of their staff in a positive, supportive and collaborative environment.

Once leaders move beyond thinking of professional development plans as just a checklist of topics and practices that are trendy today, they can take planning one step further by focusing on selecting and implementing actionable, practical offerings that are highly flexible in format and delivery based on educators’ learning styles and preferences.

Any training should follow the same standards expected of teachers with students and involve various facilitation techniques to target all learners, including whole staff programs, small group exercises, jobembedded coaching, review and reflection on instruction.

4. Create a System of Regular Observation and Feedback To say that educator evaluation is a controversial topic today would be putting it lightly, and there are certainly many factors involved in the debate. But ultimately, evaluations should be systems of growth, not “gotcha,” and a central component to any professional development plan.

In particular, observation and feedback processes shouldn’t be a just a rigid, regulated opportunity for weaknesses to be pointed out based on some decontextualized rubric. Instead, observations should be treated as an ideal opportunity to build professional relationships focused on growth and reaching goals together.

According to Jim Knight, director of the Kansas Coaching Project at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning, the success of teacher evaluation and observation is fully dependent upon the frequency and quality of support provided educators through timely, relevant and actionable feedback. Specifically, this means: • Building trust by ensuring confidentiality • Setting aside the time needed to be fully present and responsive • Providing specific examples that align with feedback • Modeling practices and being an active member in a growthcentered culture

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Once that “gotcha” mentality is gone, and a growth-mindset is in place, observations can play a major role in professional development plans by opening channels of communication and providing data to gauge teachers’ capacity and growth.

Obviously, this is all easier said than done.

It is well understood that many teachers are resistant to feedback and have a hard time accepting and/or incorporating it into their practices. Observations also take a great deal of time and are plagued by a host of logistical constraints in most schools. However, video has proven to be a promising professional learning solution and is quickly gaining a lot of attention for its ability to enhance observations and promote growth.

With video-based observations, there is a common piece of evidence that observers and teachers can review together and reflect upon, leading to more open, productive dialogue that encourages teacher acceptance. Video can also be used privately for self-reflection, with colleagues in PLCs, and school- or district-led professional development. It’s also possible to share videos with content area experts within the district, and even qualified third party observers for the most relevant and transformative feedback.

In 2014, Newton County School System in Georgia started using video for content-specific coaching. The district’s algebra teachers recorded lessons and shared them with a coach from Insight Education Group, who was able to provide detailed and actionable feedback that the district did not have the resources to do on their own.

Results were noticeable almost immediately.

Teachers reported feeling more confident and the district’s coordinate algebra pass rate grew three times higher than the state average.

2. Content expertise for accurate and usable feedback 3. Continuous observer training and calibration processes Now to the last point worth repeating.

When planning professional development that includes observation and feedback processes, don’t forget to address the unique needs of observers and instructional coaches as they work to support teachers.

School and district leaders may also consider the use of outside observers who can offer teachers the content-area expertise and relevant feedback that is essential for improving practices. In addition, external observers make it possible for principals to spend less time on paperwork and more time on what matters the most for their teachers and students.

Great Teaching and Student Outcomes The link between teacher quality and outcomes for students, specifically their chances of graduating high school and attending college, has been well established. As a result, more than two-thirds of states have

made significant changes to their educator effectiveness systems in the last five years.

Unfortunately, however, there does not seem to be consistent evidence that teacher quality is actually improving — likely because implementation at the school and district level often lacks a focus on holistic professional development planning that focuses on real needs and growth-based feedback to meet shared goals.

Just imagine the impact on student outcomes if these efforts were carefully considered, planned and rolled out in every school district. Incorporate the five components of super-charged professional development planning this fall to fuel great teaching throughout the year.

Dr. Michael Moody is the Founder and CEO of Insight Education Group. His experiences as a classroom teacher, school and district administrator and consultant have given him a unique perspective on both the challenges and opportunities in education today. Dr. Moody is always excited to start or join a conversation about helping educators grow. He tweets at @Dr. MichaelMoody.

5. Ensure Observers and Instructional Coaches are Well Trained and Supported Research from Harvard and Stanford graduate schools of education indicate that observations can in fact be key levers for the improvement of teaching and learning. However, for teacher observation and evaluation to produce such results, these systems must incorporate three key components: 1. Subject-specific observation instruments that provide concrete guidance on desirable teaching practices www.seenmagazine.us

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professional Development

EMPOWERING GLOBAL-READY

TEACHERS

By Anamaria Knight App developer and social media manager are just two examples of jobs that did not exist 10 years ago. These jobs also could not have been predicted before the iPhone or social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook took off. This got me thinking about the number of 21st century jobs that we can’t even envision now.

From an educator’s perspective this presents an interesting question: How do we prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist?

Before we panic, let’s remember that we do know some pretty important things about the student profiles of those who will be successful — let’s call them “global-ready” — regardless of the specifics of the jobs. They will need to be globally engaged. They will need to learn on the job. And they will need to use technology.

To prepare global-ready students, educators need to focus on developing their own skills such as global competence, problemsolving and emotional intelligence, as well as attitudes of openness and curiosity. Add academic and global knowledge to the mix, and this becomes a major endeavor. How will educational leaders support teachers in creating classrooms where these skills, attitudes and knowledge are being taught? An obvious support is to offer professional development opportunities in which teachers learn and practice the same attitudes, skills and knowledge they want to impart to their students.

Professional Development for the Global-Ready Teacher The reality of 21st century jobs is pushing educational leaders to think about the kinds of professional development that are worthy for the global-ready teacher who is preparing students to be global-ready as well.

The traditional, one-time, workshop-based professional development has been shown to be ineffective in changing teachers’ practice and impacting student achievement. The main reason for this cited in a 2013 report by the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education is the lack of support during the implementation stage of a teacher’s professional development. An alternative to this traditional professional development structure is dynamic, online platforms, which engage teachers in ongoing, in-time professional learning opportunities throughout the school year. Further studies have linked the impact of such virtual teacher professional development opportunities to increased student performance.

The content of professional development opportunities for teachers is as important as the medium of delivery. Global-ready students need global-ready teachers. This means that global professional 34

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development for teachers is critical. Global professional development is often thought of in terms of teachers learning about current world issues, as well as networking with professionals from other countries.

These are indeed valuable opportunities for teachers. However, they don’t always include a powerful blend of components that offers a comprehensive approach to 21st century learning: pedagogy, content and technology. It is together that these components create effective global learning opportunities where teachers explore and practice 21st century skills, attitudes and knowledge that they take back into their classrooms and pass on to students. Let’s explore each of these in more depth in terms of their role for developing global-ready teachers.

Pedagogy and Global-Ready Professional Development The world is unpredictable, ambiguous and uncertain. These elements are also what make this world a wonderful place to live. It is what allows for wonder and play to be part of our everyday experience.

And students are on to this. In fact, the theme for TedxTeen is “The Wisdom of Not Knowing.” So, how can teachers continue these conversations during instructional time, and talk with students about the connection between uncertainty and wonder? Between ambiguity and creativity? Being successful in tomorrow’s interconnected and rapidly changing world means students learning not only academic knowledge, but also how to tolerate ambiguity, and how to thrive in it.

One of the best pedagogical practices that teach students this is inquiry-based learning. Inquiry learning throws students into a world of problem-solving, perspective-taking, analytical thinking and collaboration. Inquiry can be fun and engaging, but it requires courage. After all, being OK with saying “I don’t know,” or investigating issues that are completely foreign to you and then sharing what you’ve learned with others requires one to be brave. Given the increasing ambiguity surrounding tomorrow’s jobs, we expect future graduates to have to learn on the job and, therefore, consistently use their inquiry skills.

The most effective way for students to learn inquiry is to have their teachers model inquiry-based skills and attitudes in the classroom. This means that teachers need to be comfortable with: • Saying “I don’t know.”

• Letting the students do the teaching.

• Not knowing what comes next.

• Learning alongside their students.

• Playing and being creative.

This is all accomplished, of course, with an eye to academic

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In a global-ready teacher’s classroom students use technology to investigate and analyze information, synthesize it and create a product of their learning to share with others standards. If we know that these skills and attitudes are important for global-ready teachers, we need to offer them professional development opportunities that support teachers in crafting approaches, attitudes, skills and knowledge needed to develop and deliver inquiry-based instruction.

Teachers need to “do” inquiry, in order to “teach” inquiry, and therefore professional development that is structured as project-based inquiry and models this instructional strategy for teachers will be most effective.

Content and Global-Ready Professional Development Lessons are the most powerful tool that teachers have to develop global-ready students. Effective global lessons combine two types of content: academic content — what are the standards I need to teach? Global content — what is the global lens through which I want to teach my standards? Here are a few examples that speak to this seamless blend of global and academic content directly from the teachers in VIF’s learning center, an engaging professional development community of global teachers: “My global lesson will focus on our unit on plants and functions of plant parts — particularly those used as food — and will integrate math. Students will research plants that are grown for food in a foreign country and display the availability/amount produced per year on a bar graph. This will lead to discussions about the global issue of the availability/lack of natural resources in some areas around the world.”

— Elementary School Global Teacher “We are working on financial literacy and the manipulation of data.

After a simple read-aloud of the picture book “To Market, To Market”, the students were given the name of various countries and had to design two items that are indicative of the country’s economy/culture to sell in the global market. The students will then investigate the effect of the items’ sales on the economy. Further research will include looking at the ethical issues regarding the use and interpretation of statistical data, methods of surveying and sampling, and the power of data to influence and describe.”

— Middle School Global Teacher Teachers need professional development opportunities to learn how to scaffold rigorous global investigations while enhancing content knowledge.

The examples above illustrate how the global component can be part of the instructional day, and not an isolated school event. While cultural events such as international food night are important in raising awareness of the global community, their isolation from the daily instructional time leads to missing opportunities to look deeper into other’s values and beliefs, and how these shape each of our worlds. Additionally, the 36

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global content provides a meaningful context to the academic learning. Carly Peace, a fifth-grade teacher at Holt Elementary in Durham, North Carolina says it best: “The question is no longer how do I teach global content AND the common core standards ... the global theme has given us a platform for which to teach all of our common core objectives in a very meaningful way.”

Technology and Global-Ready Professional Development Students need as much practice as possible using technology in the classroom the same way they are likely to use it in their jobs. In a global-ready teacher’s classroom students use technology to investigate and analyze information, synthesize it and create a product of their learning to share with others. This process implies a meaningful use of technology that not only deepens understanding of academic content, but that also leads to the learning and innovation skills identified in the Framework for 21st Century Learning: creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving and communication and collaboration.

The quotes below from teachers completing their professional development on VIF’s learning center speak about the powerful effects of meaningful integration of technology into curriculum: “I am introducing my class to Google earth to take a virtual field trip to Australia. We will be locating different landforms, communities, and natural resources on the map. Students will be able to compare and contrast our landscape and

DEEPEN LEARNING. ENGAGE MINDS.

natural resources in North Carolina to those of Australia.”

— Elementary School Global Teacher “Students could use Gapminder to investigate health issues in a world area over a specific amount of time and look at the population trends in that area over time as well for a comparison.”

— Secondary School Global Teacher A 2013 Gallup survey points to the fact that only a low percentage of students develop real-world problem-solving skills. Not surprisingly, the same survey points to the fact that technology used in the workplace is not taught in the classroom. Global-ready teacher professional development can empower teachers to remedy this situation.

So, going back to my original question: how do we prepare students for jobs that don’t exist? We ensure they are globalready. And how do we prepare them to be global-ready? We empower teachers to become global-ready themselves. By engaging teachers in dynamic, online professional development platforms that model the use of global and academic content, inquiry-based pedagogy and meaningful technology.

If developed well, such platforms give teachers an important voice in their own professional development, and create powerful and trusted learning environments. The bottom line is: We need global-ready teachers to prepare global-ready students.

Anamaria Knight is the Director, Curriculum and Instructional Design for VIF International Education.

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professional Development

Funding Enhanced Employee Professional Development

By Dr. Philip E. Geiger

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What do professional development opportunities mean to you? For most, they mean the chance to associate with others in your profession, stay abreast of your field, and gain the advantage of new knowledge and skills to improve your career. They are both exciting and an indication that your organization sees long-term value in you.

The corporate world spends, on average, more than $1,200 per employee each year training and re-training its staff. They recognize that to remain competitive, they must have the best people possible in place. According to Josh Bersin of Forbes Magazine, spending on corporate training by U.S. companies grew by 15 percent in 2013 to more than $70 billion, while companies worldwide spent a cumulative $130 billion on professional development. Bersin notes that companies are willing to spend this kind of money because of the difficulty in filling positions with qualified candidates — 70 percent of companies cite capability gaps — and many indicate it takes three to five years to make a seasoned professional fully productive. As you would expect, high-performing companies

spend more on training than average ones.

In schools, however, it’s a different world. Whether it is from funding issues, resource availability or lack of interest, their staffs are often the last ones to receive additional training, support and professional development. Although studies indicate that schools spend somewhere between $2,000 and $5,000 per teacher for professional development annually, few statistics exist for the entire school workforce, like we have in the private sector. Contrary to the 15 percent increase last year in professional development spending in the corporate world, studies on professional development spending in schools reflects a mere 1.5 percent increase on average.

I have often seen professional development dollars as the first place to cut at budget time, rather than looking at ways to consolidate staff or reduce the cost of services. Politically, cutting professional development is sometimes applauded. No boondoggles for our school district! No junkets to the science teachers’ convention!

For example, I remember seeing one specific request for five teachers to attend the annual

conference of the National Science Teachers Association in Puerto Rico. Even after the administrators learned that the cost of travel to Puerto Rico was the same as going to Detroit, some still deemed the trip too “extravagant.”

Would they have thought the same about Detroit? That’s up for debate, but the result was that they proposed restricting the trip to just one teacher who would come back and share their new insights and knowledge with the other 50 science teachers in the district.

After much discussion, I pointed out that having one person try to give 50 others the sense of the conference, the benefits of meeting other science teachers from other places, and the hours of presentation lessons learned was just not realistic. Thus, while this was a great development opportunity for the teacher that attended, the others surely did not receive as much benefit from the second-hand sharing of information. Fortunately, the board members then understood the value of each person attending and approved the travel.

Too often, in-service training produced at the school or district level means students are sent home early and teachers have three to four

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hours to learn skills and concepts that require real immersion, rather than just a “toe-inthe-water” approach. According to a teaching commission report, 42 percent of teachers felt that their professional development was less than desirable or a waste of time, and only 18 percent said that it actually helped them.

Conferences and meetings where teachers can devote their full attention to their professional growth and interact with teachers from other localities can help expand their horizon beyond their own district.

These conferences are often inspiring and morale-building, while also expanding the knowledge capacity of the staff attending.

Studies conducted by various groups have found these six principles of effective professional development: 1. The duration of the professional development must be significant; some studies claim as many as 50 hours before a new teaching strategy is mastered.

2. There must be support for the teacher during the implementation stage that addresses specific challenges.

3. The teacher’s initial exposure to the concept must be engaging and through varied approaches, so they can actively participate.

4. Modeling is highly effective in helping to understand a new practice.

5. The content presented needs to be specific to the discipline and grade level.

6. Recognizing the role of formal and informal professional learning, including coaching, mentoring — virtual or 40

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face-to-face — and other experiences through social media and professional learning networks is critical.

Learning Forward — formerly National Staff Development Council — advocated in its “Standards for Staff Development” that districts spend 10 percent of their budget on staff development, and that at least 25 percent of an educator’s work time should be devoted to learning and collaborating with colleagues. They also said that 30 percent of the technology budget should be devoted to teacher development.

So how does a district pay for this professional development? Here are 11 options to consider: 1. Develop public-private partnerships that enable the district’s leadership to gain external support for professional development of all staff: executive leadership, principals, teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, cafeteria employees, bus drivers, etc.

2. Create personalized professional development plans for all staff, including agreements for resources and support that enable the district to properly budget each year.

3. Hire or ask for volunteers to serve as non-evaluative coaches; this is often very effective for retired teachers and administrators who are willing to devote some of their time and give back to the profession, as well as many consultants who will do the same.

4. Share professional development

experiences with the school board and public to continue to garner support.

5. Investigate the availability of federal and state grants, especially reliable sources such as Title 1, IDEA and Perkins. You can also explore competitive grant availability.

6. Reallocating funds. One significant ideological question is whether you want/need more teachers who get minimal professional development and resources, or want the teachers you have to be well-equipped with professional development resources.

7. Consider privatizing non-instructional services to reduce costs — e.g., food services, transportation, home instruction, maintenance, substitute teachers or clinical services — that could free up some resources for professional development costs.

8. Invest in utility reduction programs to reduce long-term operating costs — e.g., solar installations, performance contracting, renewable energy and water efficiency programs — to further reduce expenses.

9. Include continuous professional development on the use of technology with the purchase of the technology, so it is procured and paid for as part of the total technology purchase.

10. Use less expensive professional development delivery channels, such as webinars. Skype and similar webbased systems are the most popular approach for 35 to 44 year olds.

11. Collaborate with other districts, or use a service center or county office, to share the cost of sustainable, long-term professional development programs.

In a recent survey of teachers, professional development was listed as one of the three most important factors and priorities in the redesign of education. It’s time to cultivate and grow the valuable assets that run our schools.

Dr. Philip E. Geiger, former superintendent of schools in New Jersey and Massachusetts, is currently senior vice president, MAXIMUS K-12 Education Inc., Reston, Virginia. Dr. Geiger has worked most of his life in public schools and was a member of the Governor’s Cabinet of the State of Arizona. Dr. Geiger holds a doctorate and two master’s degrees from Teachers College-Columbia University where he has been an adjunct professor in the educational administration department and holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Better Teaching

PERSONALIZED LEARNING STARTS WITH THE LEARNER, NOT TECHNOLOGY

BY BARBARA BRAY AND KATHLEEN MCCLASKEY

Personalized Learning is a controversial term that means different things to different people depending on where and how it is referenced. Some believe it is about promoting programs or tools that personalize learning for you where others emphasize that learning starts with the learner.

Technology is moving the idea of “personalized” forward everywhere we look. When you order a book, movie, or other product or service online, you get “personalized” recommendations for similar products based on your previous selections. You can even “personalize” your connections to new friends based on past connections. This approach of using algorithms to connect similar ideas, people, 42

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and products is being re-framed as “personalized” in the form of “adaptive learning systems” for education. Educators are confused when they walk through an educational conference and see the word “personalized” everywhere around all types of products and services.

Both of us are advocates for the use of technology to support instruction and to help learners gain independent learning skills.

For years, as coaches consulting on technology integration, we observed classrooms where technology sat idle or to present lessons using new tools but the same way they teach: teacher-directed.

The current system seems to encourage the use of technology for traditional teacher-directed methods. We want to be fair. Teachers

Technology is moving the idea of “personalized” forward everywhere we look. When you order a book, movie, or other product or service online, you get “personalized” recommendations for similar products based on your previous selections.

Differentiation and individualization are teacher-centered.

Personalization is learner-centered.

only know what they know and when they were taught as learners themselves or in teacher education programs.

We created the Personalization vs.

Differentiation vs. Individualization chart in response to the National Education Technology Plan that defined the terms focusing on “instruction.” We believed it was necessary to create a chart that compares these terms as they relate to “learning.”

Personalized learning requires the active participation from the learner; individualization lets the school tailor the curriculum for the individual learner.

The difference between individualization, differentiation and personalization lies in control. When a teacher differentiates instruction, the teacher is in control and working harder than the learners.

Most traditional instruction actually depersonalizes how learners learn rather than encouraging learners to take responsibility for their learning.

Chris Watkins, reader at the Institute of Education, University of London, wrote in his article “Research Matters: Learning, Performance and Improvement” about the relationship between learning in schools and performance in schools. Effective learners understand how they learn with strengths identified as meta-cognition, self-monitoring and self-regulation. Learners vary orientations between learning and performance where there is a concern for proving (Performance) or improving (Learning) orientation. We adapted and summarized key components in Watkins’ research in the table below.

In his research, Watkins defines the term “learning” with a range of meanings.

Most of us only know what we know about learning from our own experiences as a student: “being taught.” Research in the 20th century highlighted learning as a change in knowledge through a process of knowledge construction. Watkins explains how the social context of learning as a

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shared phenomenon is important. Views of learning are present, yet he states about the long-standing culture of classrooms is...

“Teaching is telling, learning is listening, knowledge is subject matter taught by teachers and found in books.”

Watkins shared that in England and other countries including the United States, there has been a focus on performance tests for learners, performance ratings for schools, and performance management strategies for teachers. In most cases, teachers are held accountable and responsible for what learners learn. This is a concern from educators around the world “that managing teachers on the basis of such performance has lowered teacher morale” and led to some of our best and brightest to leave the profession. When a learner focuses on learning orientation, it means “the motivation to prove one’s competence is immaterial without the motivation to improve one’s competence.”

The evidence in Watkins’ research concludes that a focus on learning can enhance performance, where a focus on performance alone can depress performance.

With traditional instruction, the climate in the classrooms becomes more performance oriented over years of schooling.

“A performance-oriented environment focuses on looking good rather than learning well.”

— Chris Watkins The evidence in this research demonstrates that learning about learning is an educationally important strategy that improves performance. [Source: SouthEast Education Network

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Proving vs. Improving post] Technology in the form of adaptive learning systems and most test prep programs, the focus is on performance.

Online adaptive learning services provide individualized learning experiences by applying mathematical modeling to learners’ studying. Their software is adaptive as the content it presents changes based on the learner’s performance — by their strengths and weaknesses. Algorithms dictate the most appropriate next question for learners.

Adaptive learning systems often creates passive unmotivated learners who do not think deeply about learning In a personalized learning environment, learners actively participate in their learning. They have a voice in what they are learning based on how they learn best. Learners have a choice in how 44

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they demonstrate what they know and provide evidence of their learning.

“Learners need to acquire the skills to choose and use the most appropriate resources and tools for the task.”

— Kathleen McClaskey The teacher is their guide on their personal journey. When learners have choices to interact with the content and discuss what they watched, read and learned, they are actively participating as learners. Encouraging learner voice and choice is the key difference to the other terms: differentiation and individualization. When learners have a voice in how they learn and a choice in how they engage with content and express what they know, they are more motivated to want to learn and own their learning.

The system needs to change from

focusing on problems to rethinking the design of teaching and learning around how learners learn best.

Personalized learning starts with the learner, not the technology!

All Learning is Personal!

We wrote “Make Learning Personal” for anyone who wants to transform teaching and learning. It is about the What, Who, Wow, Where and Why of Personalized Learning to help change the culture of schools and to build a common language and understanding around the term: personalized learning.

Barbara Bray (@bbray27) and Kathleen McClaskey (@khmmc) are co-founders of Personalize Learning, LLC and coauthors of “Make Learning Personal.”

Contact them at personalizelearn@gmail. com and follow on Twitter @plearnchat.

Better Teaching

NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR 2025 TRANSFORMING THE CORE OF LEARNING

By Katherine Prince (This is part two of a three part series.)

Imagine that it is the year 2025. Urban learning crews are providing personalized learning and deep social support to inner city middle and high school aged students around the U.S., causing dropout rates to plummet. A rural learning commons has brought to Oklahoma communities a new layer of infrastructure that is seeding educator development while expanding access to cross-cultural learning experiences.

These stories from the future suggest just some of the ways in which new kinds of

learning ecosystems could emerge to meet learners’ needs and reflect the needs and constraints of particular places. They reflect KnowledgeWorks’ ongoing exploration of the future of learning, which takes into account how trends emerging today could impact learning in 10 years. Persistent trends suggest that learning is diversifying, with new ways of organizing teaching and learning emerging and with learning ecosystems becoming more personalized.

As such trends continue to develop, education stakeholders have a tremendous opportunity to shape the future of learning

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to be one that is vibrant for all learners.

But, if education stakeholders do not shift their focus from institutions to individuals as the learning ecosystem expands, we risk creating a fractured landscape that is more inequitable than today’s education system.

Innovation Pathways toward Vibrant Learning Ecosystems As discussed in my article, “Transforming Learning for All Young People,” creating vibrant future learning ecosystems requires stepping back from today’s reality to pursue large-scale systemic transformation.

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Reflecting KnowledgeWorks’ engagement with education stakeholders around the country to make sense of future trends and identify opportunities, we developed a framework of 10 innovation pathways that promise to bring about the best of future possibilities.

This article explores the five of those innovation pathways that are focused on transforming the core of learning. For each one, it presents signals of change along with developments to watch and suggests strategies for moving forward.

The five innovation pathways explored below promise to open new possibilities for how education stakeholders design learning environments.

1. Cultivate New Learning Cultures That Support Personalized Learning These new cultures would cultivate inquiry, creativity and play, supporting learners in following their interests in meaningful collaborative contexts.

Some learning cultures would extend beyond the formal classroom walls.

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• Signal of change: A signal of change is a current example that points the way toward future possibilities. Strategic foresight practitioners use signals of change as one basis for forecasting how change might unfold. In regard to this innovation pathway, Chicago’s Digital Youth Network fosters supportive learning ecosystems that help youth cultivate learning as a lifestyle, with the goal creating an equal platform for all to be digitally literate. It has been involved in creating the iRemix social learning network, the YOU media program at the Chicago Public Library, Chicago’s City of Learning, and the expansion of that approach to other cities.

• Developments to watch: Developments to watch reflect trends shaping the future of learning that could extend opportunities to pursue an innovation pathway. In this case, new insights from cognitive science promise to inform the design and support of learning experiences. In addition, look for the spread of competency education to provide a new foundation for personalizing learning across many settings.

• Strategies for moving forward: Find

ways to support learners as whole people and make space for their individual interests, both by pacing learning to each individual and by cultivating inquiry, creativity, play, and other attributes that support people in following their interests in meaningful collaborative contexts. Develop new ways of addressing learners’ non-academic needs that impact learning, including social-emotional well-being and access to resources ranging from food to equipment.

2. Enable the Development of Diverse Learning Structures A wide range of learning structures would enable learners and their families to create individualized learning playlists, or customized sequences of learning experiences and activities, reflecting their particular interests, goals and values. As learning takes place in more kinds of learning venues and as “school” takes more and more forms, a correspondingly broad range of management and governance structures would provide appropriate levels of oversight and management. For example, education

administration could look different from one setting to the next, and new forms of governance beyond school boards or nonprofit boards of directors might emerge.

• Signal of change: Learning playlists are gaining sway as a means of organizing and giving students some degree of choice over their learning journeys. Educators are using them in specific classes, as with the use of learning menus in middle and high school classes in Ohio’s Hilliard city school district, and in the context of broader personalized learning plans, as with Summit Schools’ use of learning playlists to curate learning resources for use during students’ personalized learning time.

• Developments to watch: Watch for the boundaries between formal and informal learning settings to continue to meld as communities increasingly take an ecosystem approach to organizing learning.

In addition, expect new forms of school, such as the student-driven and technologyenabled K-8 AltSchool, which has attracted $133 in venture funding, to proliferate.

• Strategies for moving forward: Enable learners to customize their journey in existing environments by choosing how they master learning objectives and making space for personal interests to shape learning experiences. Collaborate to create highquality resources for use in many settings along with robust learning experiences that make use of community resources.

3. Develop Human Capital for Personalized Learning Ecosystems A diverse set of learning agent roles and activities would support rich, relevant, and authentic learning in multiple settings and would help ensure that all students had access to highquality personalized learning. Learning agent preparation, development, and compensation systems would also diversify.

• Signal of change: The Center for Teaching Quality has been exploring the potential for teachers to develop their careers through hybrid roles that enable them to stay in the classroom part-time while also working as change agents in areas such as policy, professional development and community partnership.

• Developments to watch: Watch for educator roles to diversify in school and community-based settings, with educator preparation and development

approaches diversifying as roles and career trajectories change. Look too for new matchmaking platforms to connect professionals of many types with students seeking learning opportunities or supports such as career coaching.

• Strategies for moving forward: Look for opportunities to differentiate current educators’ roles and to build bridges connecting educators across settings. Begin considering what kinds of skill development and training current educators would need to work in more diverse roles.

4. Develop a New, LearnerFocused Data Infrastructure Data reflecting the learner as a whole person would follow each child across many kinds of learning experiences and over time, making it easy for learners to customize their learning journeys and supporting learning agents in using data to guide choices and inform instruction.

• Signal of change: The School Link Services program in Santa Clara County, California, uses a cross-agency datasharing model and associated infrastructure to support the delivery of coordinated and effective health and social services to individuals on school campuses and in neighboring communities.

• Developments to watch: Watch for new data protocols and encryption technologies to offer new ways of managing privacy and security. In addition, look for the emerging understanding of the potential for personal data to be treated as an asset to lead to new data exchanges.

• Strategies for moving forward: Explore ways to use secure data to inform educational and support strategies for individual learners and to identify patterns affecting learner cohorts. Harness learning analytics to support the particular objectives and approaches of your learning environment.

5. Enable New Forms of Assessment and Alternative Credentialing High-quality performance-based assessments that enable learners to demonstrate mastery would provide learners and learning agents with meaningful feedback about learning. Such assessments would provide ongoing feedback throughout the learning process, enabling educators to use timely feedback to help students develop competencies and hone their skills as learners.

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Diverse forms of credentials — including badges, certificates, and other mechanisms for demonstrating mastery of discrete skills and concepts — would reflect the many ways in which people learn and demonstrate mastery.

• Signal of change: Udacity’s nanodegrees are beginning to bridge the gap between micro-credentials and employment by offering courses on technology with direct input from companies such as AT&T, SalesForce and Google.

• Developments to watch: Watch for an expansion in data capture methods and techniques for analyzing audio, video, and digital interaction trails to lead to new opportunities to capture evidence of students’ learning. In addition, look for the tagging of community learning resources by competencies to help open more resources for learning and make micro-credentials increasingly robust.

• Strategies for moving forward: Broaden assessment systems to focus on demonstration of mastery while also extending their reflection of higher-order skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and problem solving. Explore the potential for micro-credentials to reflect students’ mastery in a wide range of learning environments.

Creating Vibrant Learning Ecosystems These innovation pathways promise to help education stakeholders cultivate learning ecosystems that meet learners’ needs and reflect the realities of the communities in which they live. As we design education for the world that is emerging, we have the opportunity to make new choices about how our learning environments support learners, how educators work within and across them, and how we use data, assessments and credentials to inform and reflect learning.

My next article will highlight how we must also transform supporting systemic structures in order to make education transformation sustainable and widespread.

One of the United States’ foremost educational futurists, Katherine Prince leads KnowledgeWorks’ exploration of the future of learning. As senior director of strategic foresight, she speaks and writes about the trends shaping education over the next decade and helps education stakeholders strategize how to become active agents of change in pursuing their ideal visions for the future learning ecosystem.

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Better TEACHING

By Gary Surdam “There is something different about this school,” I thought to myself, as I strolled through the busy hallways of a middle Tennessee elementary school, “something that’s actually working.”

I was there to meet with the principal and to discuss a series of workshops geared towards parents and staff, but on this late November day I was surprised and encouraged by the atmosphere in the building. I did my research beforehand: Title 1 school, a diverse demographic, and while their test scores had been flat for the past seven years they had experienced three years of dramatic growth in student achievement. I needed to know what they were doing right.

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HAT

RIGHT

It’s been a year now since I began providing my consultant services to this school and in that time I’ve gotten to know this community and have understood why they’re succeeding in student achievement. The school has embraced parents and the community as partners in their students’ education. It’s been a joy working with these educational leaders and I want to share five strategies that can be applied to any school.

Parents are Welcomed and Valued It starts with a simple smile; welcoming parents as they enter the school can go far. Office staff at this school learned parent’s names and how they like to be addressed, i.e. Mr., Mrs., first name, etc. The principal shows a sincere interest in parent’s opinions and their families. Most parents only occasionally interact with the principal and office staff, but at this school they made sure that at least 90 percent of their encounters with parents are positive, warm and friendly. These impressions left from fleeting encounters in the hallway are long lasting. The principal makes sure to thank parents both privately and publicly, via newsletters, assemblies and during the “Coffee Talk Time” she holds once a month with parents. This is a time when parents have the opportunity to share a teaching strategy and fun ways they connect with their children at home.

Teachers See Parents as P artners Teachers recognize that they are the expert in the subjects they teach and that parents are the experts about their children. Parents know how their children learn, what they like or dislike and how to best motivate them. The teachers start with a positive phone call home the first week of school to have a conversation with their students’ parents. They make sure to identify one positive thing to share about the student when calling. These calls are more than a quick “Hello, I’m your child’s teacher and look forward to a good year.” They really take time with each parent. They have a true positive conversation.

They learn what special skills each parent has and then invite them to use these skills in the classroom. This takes a lot of effort the first week of school, however it pays off the rest of the year.

Positive School Environment The school and community take pride in their campus. They have monthly school improvement days. Parents are part of making it their own. They organize teams of community volunteers for a workday the first Saturday of the month. It is the parents that motivate staff and other parents to join in. There is a big picture on what parents want their school to look like and committees were formed to tackle the www.seenmagazine.us

job. The PTA officials work with district personnel to make sure all of their creative plans are approved.

Training Parents want to help their children to be successful academically and in life. However, most times they feel inadequate. I was given the opportunity to provide our parent workshops in which we gave parents the tools to become “Educational Leaders” at home. It was rewarding to see the eagerness of parents to learn. We introduced strategies and they committed to practicing them at home. Like everything we learn, if we don’t use it within 30 to 60 days we will most likely never use it. So we made sure they wrote down what they were going to do, and then told someone else at the workshop. So now they were committed and accountable to someone.

The school continued to provide ongoing learning ideas to their parents via a newsletter, website, and short one hour workshops once a month. Teachers were also part of this learning.

They taught short lessons to their students and gave them the assignment of teaching it to their parents. There were follow-up lessons that parents could use with their children at home.

Parents as Educational Leaders The school staff challenges parents not to see themselves as educational overseers, but as educational leaders with a role to play.

Parents learn to effectively communicate with their children, develop community with fellow parents, discover strategies on how to partner with teachers equipping and teaching them how to be educational leaders in their own homes.

Walking through the classrooms in this middle Tennessee elementary school is always inspiring. The state of the educational system in America doesn’t seem so bleak in a classroom where students are excited to learn and teachers cannot hide their pride, or in a home where parents are eager to work alongside their children in building their educational future.

The beauty about this picture is that there is no one thing or advantage about this school that has set it apart; there is nothing stopping any school across the country from pursuing the very same in their own community today. I hope that the story of this school inspires you to adopt these strategies where you are and to make them unique to your own schools and homes.

Gary Surdam is an educator, entrepreneur, businessman, and visionary whose unique career experience makes him one of America’s top leaders in educational consulting.

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Better Teaching

RESCHOOL COLORADO A BOLD EFFORT TO CREATE A NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM IN COLORADO

By Amy Anderson What if you were given the chance to create an entirely new state education system from scratch — one that could serve learners of all ages — birth to career — would be designed to better prepare people for success in the world we live in today, and sufficiently agile to keep up with our global society’s rapid changes? This was exactly the opportunity offered to me in early 2013 when I decided to leave my post as Colorado’s Associate Commissioner 50

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of Innovation, Choice, and Engagement to return to the Donnell-Kay Foundation, where I had worked previously, to design and launch a new education system in our state.

The idea to start a new, statewide education system is the brainchild of Tony Lewis, Executive Director of The Donnell-Kay Foundation (DK). After spending nearly two decades investing the foundation’s resources in efforts to improve our current system in a variety of ways, he was feeling frustrated with the results. While bright lights existed

— selected communities with exceptional schools and school networks, promising new models of learning, and a general openness in Colorado to explore policy improvements and changes — it wasn’t systemic. When you looked across any district, and certainly across the state, tremendous gaps in opportunity and results for learners were significant — and still are today. His conclusion: today’s education system, serving learners from pre-K through post-secondary, isn’t broken. It is outdated. In this blog post we wrote together last year, we use the metaphor of Tony’s

1949 pickup truck, “Gus” to elaborate on the state of our current education system.

When I decided to leave the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), I had a number of people ask me why I would leave my post at the state to take on this risky pursuit of starting a new system when I was in a pretty good position to be making changes to the education system that we already have in our state. My reasons were pretty clear: First, in my time at CDE I learned that the system is full of smart, ambitious people who work extremely hard running the day to day operations to keep the current system moving. A strong appetite to improve the system also exists; as such, we were pretty successful at putting together a vision for where our state could head in order to modernize our system and better prepare Colorado learners for success in today’s world. However, it is when the rubber hit the road and it was time to implement that

vision when things started to get much more challenging. Because of the nature of our current system, new ideas and efforts often result in add-ons, not replacements, and finding the time to both run the existing system while making room to try new things or change the way things are done is extremely hard and can really only be done in incremental, not transformational ways.

Second, as someone who has worked with multiple organizations and schools over the years, I have learned that starting something new, while challenging in many ways, is usually easier than turning around or transforming an existing entity. However, I had never seen anyone designing an entirely new, radically different education “system” until I had the opportunity to visit Rio de Janeiro through the Global Education Leaders Program in the fall of 2012. What I saw firsthand in Rio was the Ministry of Education’s efforts to create a new public education system alongside the system they had been running. This new system was being created as part of the pacification of the Favelas located in the hills and mountainsides up above Rio. To date, many children living in the Favelas had received little to no formal education.

The Favelas had been historically dangerous and fairly off limits, so trying to run a school system there had been extremely challenging, and downright impossible in most places. However, with the pacification of the Favelas — which was being done, in part, to make the city safe and more inviting to those coming to Rio for the Olympics and World Cup events — it opened up an opportunity to start a new school system from scratch. There were few expectations in the Favela communities about what “school” should look like or be — as compared to many traditions and expectations among those who had been and were currently attending schools in other parts of Rio. As such, the ministry worked from a blank slate and created a separate division focused on new schools and innovation. It was this division’s job to create this new system of learning in Rio with the Favelas being the launching point for it.

The idea of a new, parallel system resonated strongly in me, and this experience ignited a spark that I couldn’t extinguish once I returned to Colorado; hence my decision to rejoin my friend and

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colleague, Tony Lewis at DK, to tackle this exciting new adventure. Our team has since expanded and we have learned and accomplished a great deal together.

The remainder of this article will delve more deeply into our vision for the new system, what we have accomplished to date, and the strategy carrying us towards the realization of the system by 2019.

Much like my experience in Brazil, it is my hope that aspects of the work we are doing here in Colorado resonate with you and inspire action towards systems change in communities well beyond our state.

ReSchool Colorado’s Vision By 2030, 50,000 Colorado youth, from babies to young adults, will be learning in a new education system. They will be actively pursuing extraordinary life paths and prepared for each step along the way as powerful contributors to our society.

This visual representation demonstrates the possibilities of a statewide system designed more purposefully around the learner. Key system components to call out from the visual include: • Learner advocate: Each learner in this new system will have an advocate — or network of advocates — to help them navigate the system and make decisions about their educational paths and learning experiences. We anticipate a marketplace of learner advocates emerging to meet the various needs of families enrolling in the new system.

• Expanded landscape of learning opportunities: Learning for most of us already occurs in a variety of places; yet, our education system remains largely place (school) based. Our system is learner based. As such, we start with the learners and customize their experiences by leveraging a variety of experiences for individual and collaborative learning that may include a physical location for all or part of the day — like a school or community center — but also may not.

Learners will have the opportunity to create education playlists that bundle courses and experiences accessed through a variety of providers such as cultural institutions, schools, online providers, apprenticeships, educator co-ops, community-based organizations, individual experts/tutors, etc.

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• Students who have dropped out of the system.

• Young adults who aren’t engaging in the typical high school to college to career pipeline and are seeking a different path through the system than currently exists.

With this lens, most of our user-centered research and design efforts thus far have focused on engaging people who fall within one or more of these areas of focus.

Highlighted below are a couple of examples:

Based System: It is important for learners — and those working with them as teachers, advocates, parents, etc. — to have clarity about the expectations of this system, the learning experiences and knowledge they will gain along the way, and the mechanisms by which to capture what they have done and learned in such a way that it facilitates their journey and informs others about their progress. We are currently working on a competency-based framework to inform the design of the system and the learning that occurs within it.

• Access to Education Dollars: In order to unbundle education and re-bundle it to create a customized path for all learners, the students and families in this new system will need to have access to their education dollars to spend across the variety of learning opportunities they may choose. In order to address equity concerns and ensure quality choices, we see the advocate being an essential partner and decision maker with learners and their families in using these resources wisely.

• Enabling Architecture (policy/system framework): We can’t simply design a new vision for learning in our state and think that we can retrofit it back into the existing system and structures. We need to design the system in ways that align with the learnercentered nature of the ReSchool vision.

This requires a policy and implementation design process focused on the organization and governance of the system, regulatory requirements to create it, financing mechanisms, and quality assurance. The goal is a dynamic system, not the recreation of another bureaucracy. Listed below are more on the critical attributes of the new system.

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Mission To design and launch an inspirational education system that coordinates people and resources in new, dynamic ways, ensuring an experience that is welcoming, empowering, and world-class.

This new system will: • Operate statewide, but start small and grow over time • Be designed to function as one, aligned system for learners birth to career • Be approved in 2018 and operational in 2019 Work to Date Initial entrants and focus on non-consumers One of the most important questions we’ve had to tackle is, “Who might find value in this new system and choose to enroll in it when open?” As we shared previously, it isn’t our intent to replace the existing system but to provide a new choice for those learners and families who so desire it — a parallel system.

We engaged Michael Horn and Julia Freeland at the Clayton Christensen Institute to help us think about whom to design the system with and for to start. Their theory of disruptive innovation led us to focus on people in Colorado who are nonconsumers of our current system, such as: • Families who have opted out or never enrolled in the system such as homeschoolers, those with young learners, and in particular those who are choosing family, friends, and neighbors to care for their children, not pre-schools or child care centers.

Engaging the Learner in the Design Experience Expertise can only take you so far when you’re trying to go beyond the current paradigm. Our early work with The Clayton Christensen Institute highlighted potential areas to launch this new system and helped us identify some of our first partners in shaping the design: families and young learners leveraging a Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) network of care and learning. In collaboration with Greater Good Studio and Boulder Housing Partners (BHP), we spent time with families and their caregivers focusing on the child as our center point.

The unique experience of these users has inspired new insights around the role a system serves in supporting their learning.

As part of our experience, we shadowed families for the time their child or children were with care providers. Throughout the course of the day, we moved with the child to observe the systems surrounding their care, from morning routines to transportation, to their care providers and back home again. Our goal was to seed our design with openness and humility through observations, conversations, and shadowing and to get beyond typical research and engagement strategies like focus groups, surveys and polls.

We discovered that by spending time with families, care providers and learners, we were able to access the successful workarounds, routines and behaviors they may not recognize as “different or important.”

By approaching their personal system through the lens of positive deviance we were able to uncover strategies that may serve as better solutions while having access to the same resources as those facing similar challenges. This compilation of concepts

Theory of Action

emerged through this process. Our work into this next year involves testing some of these concepts, again in partnership with BHP, Greater Good Studio and families living in the BHP communities in Boulder.

Lessons from Strategic Partnerships: The Learner Advocate Pilot Equally as powerful as sharing tools to support improvement in the current system, we are grateful for opportunities in which we can cull learning from the present structure to sharpen our design for the future. The role of learner advocates continues to surface as an essential component to the success of the new system. This network of advocates will partner with learners and their families to help navigate an expanded ecosystem of learning opportunities, to design their pathway and to cultivate relationships and resources essential to their success.

Through networking and research, DK has identified several individuals, communitybased organizations, and educators who are supporting learners as counselors, advocates, and coaches in the current K-12 and postsecondary systems. As we’ve interacted with learners and advocates, some interesting opportunities to improve those relationships and build capacity have emerged.

For example, a number of advocates and learners operate in isolation. They are

looking for an effective way to manage their goals and pathways, to document the resources they are accessing, and to facilitate relationships with and connections to the people who are supporting and encouraging them through this process. As we looked across the field to see if anyone was working on something to help with this identified need, we discovered the concept of a Learning Relationship Management (LRM) system. And, we found a partner, Fidelis Education, who has developed an LRM that we’ve put in front of a number of advocates in our current system. They have been intrigued by it, and we think advocates and learners could utilize it right now.

In May 2015 we launched a pilot with Fidelis and five organizations that are working in an advocate capacity with teenagers and young adults across the state. We hope this pilot will add value to those working and learning in the current system as well as inform the design of the advocate’s role in the future system.

Focus for the next 12 months We are engaged deeply in the design and seeding aspects of the Theory of Action process shared earlier. Over the next year we are focused on learning more to inform our design and needs for the system in the following areas:

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1. Learner Advocate role 2. Competency-based framework and learner pathways 3. Expanded landscape of learning experiences and opportunities 4. System governance and quality assurance measures/mechanisms 5. System financing and learner access to education dollars 6. Regulatory process and pathway to creating the system

By June 2016, we expect to: • Decide on the population and number of learners the system will serve to start; • Create a policy framework and plan to drive approval for the system; and • Understand much better than we do today the resources and capacity required to ensure the system launches successfully.

How to stay informed about our progress We welcome your feedback about our work (info@reschoolcolorado.org).

You can stay abreast of our progress by visiting our website and signing up for our monthly Reschool update.

Amy Anderson is the Director at Reschool Colorado.

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Better Teaching

: T M N O EN O O R EM I ’ S S AG RS AT A CL MAN H E IC

N C U A M E T OM S C YLE T S

Donald F. Perras, PhD. Classroom management skills are fundamental to any teacher’s professional competence in today’s diverse classrooms.

Lacking a proactive system of management strategies is compromising educators’ career productivity. Unfortunately, university preparation has failed to emphasize this requirement, assuming practical experience will compensate for insufficient training. However, based on personal observations of over 1100 teachers in dozens of communities since 1973, this belief is illogical.

Initially, all classrooms require clarification of instructional expectations and social-behavioral requirements. Establishing predictable schedules and routines must be communicated within the first days of a school year. Academic standards and learning goals are emphasized to promote achievement and accountability. Class rules are 54

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identified, rehearsed, and incorporated into daily operations to stress responsibility.

These procedures create a community of learners to accomplish targeted achievement objectives and socialization outcomes.

Mr. Grabowski’s third grade band students are excited about his newly decorated classroom with its colorful posters, organized storage closets, and semi-circle seating. Daily agendas are listed in contrasting colors, a timer is set for practicing scales and class rules are posted above the smart board. Student photos are displayed on the Wall of Fame board for outstanding participation and cooperation. Monthly certificates are sent home to recognize progress.

His preparation assures a proactive readiness for any probable behavioral problems.

Popular classroom management programs offer a structure dependent on the power of various strategies to motivate students’

Initially, all classroo ms require clarification of instr uctional expectations and so cial behavioral requirem ents.

Establishing predic table schedules and routi nes must be communicated w ithin the first days of a schoo l year. www.seenmagazine.us

compliance with “rules.” While the central feature of research-based models, another facet of management is typically minimized. In actuality, teacher–student interaction is the primary variable in creating effective management strategies. Though the method and tone of communication is imbedded in the application of interventions, it is rarely understood or analyzed. Since communication style is more predictive of success than techniques are, teachers must learn to fully appreciate its relevance to behavioral programming.

Awareness of one’s personal history of communication is essential to assess the interface of language, nonverbal expression and behavior management. It is imperative to identify the complex interaction of voice tone, emotionality and reactions during engagement with students as students quickly learn to manipulate teachers’ speech tendencies, in particular, knowing one’s verbal expression pattern is paramount to more productive communication. Reflecting on the clarity and fluency of statements, opinions, and directives, by example, will ultimately shape the application of management practices. This task is crucial to beginning teachers, as they examine their communication of academic information, behavioral mandates and general discourse.

Learning the subtle nature of dialogue consumes considerable focus and psychological energy that is easily neglected by other priorities, especially instructional practices. Awareness of this dynamic is a major predictor of first-year obligations.

Students’ excessive talking during group activities perplexed Ms. Simpson, a beginning seventh grade social studies teacher in an impoverished rural community. She frequently asked students to “please quiet down,” displaying contorted facial expressions and an agitated physical response. Her voice was elevated with repeated commands, which was followed by pleading, “Could you stop talking so I can continue our project?” Student misbehavior will continue to sustain this reactive cycle until Ms. Simpson speaks assertively (“Points will be rewarded to cooperating classmates”) in a calm manner.

Veteran teachers should accept that traditional communication habits are less effective with their increasing population of entitled, prematurely independent, and emotionally needy students.

Repeating directives (“How many times can I ask you to come prepared to class?”), using a confrontational voice, and expressing disappointment (“I’ve never taught a fifth grade like this before!”) is doomed to fail with at-risk SouthEast Education Network

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learners. Especially during adolescence, where students naturally resist authority, simply stating a directive (“stay on task”) or requesting cooperation (“I appreciate if everyone finishes the assignment”) is frequently challenged. This negates the advantages of age, maturity, and experience that veterans historically received in prior decades. Motivation to employ proactive communication techniques is required to sustain career longevity.

Mr. Rodriquez has enjoyed exceptional success during his 24-year career-teaching math in a progressive high school. However, one class of 11th grade remedial students was confrontational toward his communication on a daily basis. This relatively new problem was depleting his enthusiasm for teaching.

Defensively, Mr. Rodriquez relied on asking approval, “Excuse me, I need your attention to teach this lesson.” Continuous resistance and prolonged off-task behavior resulted in a reduction in lesson completion. Adopting a style of direct statements, “These five problems must be finished in 10,” will empower Mr. Rodriquez’s effectiveness.

Non-verbal communication accounts for 93 percent of teacher-student interactions, a reality that surprises a vast majority of professional educators. Voice volume, eye contact, facial expressions, and proximity, for instance, are components of non-verbal communication. Unfortunately, non-verbal traits are difficult for teachers to consciously identify or adjust if required. Secondary students, in particular, are extremely savvy at calculating non-verbal tendencies to disrupt management techniques. Any variation in teachers’ body language signals an opportunity to prolong their frustration and loss of confidence. Standing with arms folded, or gesturing at an offending student, by example, typically implies a reactive response that inevitably increases misbehavior. Yelling, hovering over non-compliant students, or slouching are cues that energize rejection of authority, especially with beginning teachers.

Substitute teachers are incredibly unprepared for this scenario without prior knowledge of students’ behavioral patterns.

Dr. Rollins was mystified by his generallevel chemistry class’ refusal to cooperate during labs. He frequently stared at disruptive students, sat at his desk, and appeared sullen and defeated. This prompted a cycle of manipulation that was sustained by his responses. This sabotage continued until Dr. 56

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Rollins suppressed his non-verbal behavior by expressing a composed, positive presence with active engagement and enthusiasm.

Teachers’ personality traits also have a profound correlation with communication skills. Regarding behavior management, personality traits are engrained in communication with students, particularly regarding behavior management, whether an extrovert or introvert. Being aware of one’s temperament is fundamental to understanding this connection. Students intuitively sense the link between emotionality and communication by assessing teachers’ sensitivity, confidence and assertiveness. By example, timid, permissive teachers often express vulnerability in their comments (“Your tardiness is very upsetting to my starting class”) that weakens any behavioral technique. Assertive teachers speak in declarative statements (“Sixth grade is lining up quietly for lunch”), which demonstrates a commanding presence. They realize the impact of direct statements to minimize student manipulation and resistance.

Constructive feedback from colleagues and administrators to target these speech patterns is invaluable to limit long-term complications.

Teachers’ stress tolerance also dramatically impacts communication skills. Whether realistic or perceived, stress dominates public school classrooms because of academic standards, social-behavioral expectations, and racial-cultural diversity. Coping with stress is a universal requirement to achieve professional stability, especially related to behavior management. Otherwise, reactive habits develop when requests (“Everyone open your books to page 81”) or mandates (Josh, please report to the office to discuss your behavior”) fail. Repetitive responses foster a negative cycle of raising voice intensity, emotional tension, facial contortions and retaliation. Regaining authority to sustain mental health becomes paramount, as disruptive students accelerate the intensity of misbehavior to provoke the same reactions.

A self-fulfilling prophesy results that is extremely resistant to modify, especially if evident during the beginning of a school year. Learning to communicate with clarity and purpose will minimize the chronic stress of addressing misbehavior.

Mrs. Tang has struggled with management of her fifth grade Chinese class since fall.

Unable to communicate her intentions (”Class, review your vocabulary for five

minutes before we begin our lesson”) and expectations (“Participation is very important to your progress”) has infected her overall competence. Scolding (“Refusing to listen is unacceptable”) and emotional sensitivity (”If you cared for me, this disrespect would end”) have contaminated her instructional ability and psychological composure. Accenting compliance with rules (“I appreciate Ming’s contributions today!”), while controlling her emotional outbursts, will eventually neutralize these issues.

In summation, teachers should follow these recommendations to improve their communication ability regarding classroom management: * Display a positive, assertive presence that commands respect, such as “I am impressed that period six is prepared to learn this morning!” * Communicate in a proactive manner that defines expectations and compliance: “Our Algebra class is responsible for being respectful with classmates.” * Speak in directive statements (“alpha commands”) that state specific requests: “Share the painting supplies to complete our holiday project.”

Always speak in an enthusiastic, engaging manner with empathy and composure: “I’m delighted when table five cooperates with your partners on this assignment.” * Minimize negotiating, pleading, asking, seeking approval: “Shh, class, I need the chatting to end, OK?” * Control emotional reactions to misbehavior: “Jose, our school rule is to keep hands to self. Sit in the time out chair for five.” * Validate communication skills with a videotape of daily encounters with students and identify stressors associated with particular groups/students.

Implementing proactive management strategies is a function of teacher-student communication. Understanding this interaction is mandatory for all teachers’ professional maturation.

Donald F. Perras has been an educator since 1967. He specializes in programs to help educators deal with students who have serious emotional disturbance (SED) and related behavior disorders. For information visit www.donperras.com.

Company Profiles

SEEN Magazine is proud to present our company profiles.

FISH! For Schools:

The foundation of a positive school culture Page 56

College Ready Writer’s Program Page 58 Teen Science CafÊs:

This special advertising section features

Raising Interest in Science and Science Careers Page 59

selected companies and organizations that are making

Education Framework:

unique contributions to the education landscape.

If you would like your organization to be considered for a Company Profile, call Dennis Taibl at 704-568-7804.

Student data top concern of school districts Page 60

Guardian: Safe and Healthy Schools Are No Accident Page 61

www.seenmagazine.us

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Company Profile

FISH! For Schools:

The foundation of a positive school culture Sometimes the best lessons come from the most unlikely teachers.

Years ago, filmmaker John Christensen was shopping at Seattle’s Pike Place Market when he noticed a large crowd surrounding a small fish market. The fishmongers tossed salmon to each other, the crowd cheering each spectacular catch.

The fishmongers greeted strangers like old friends. When a fishmonger focused on a customer, it was as if they were the only two people in the world. Everyone smiled—and bought lots of fish.

Christensen was fascinated. How did the fishmongers transform a cold, exhausting job into a joyful experience? To find out, he made a film about them.

SUCCESS SKILLS FOR LIFE The film, FISH!, explored four simple practices anyone can use to be more successful by building better relationships. Together they are The FISH! Philosophy: Choose Your Attitude: No matter what the day throws at you, you can choose how you respond.

Be There: When people need you, they need all of you. Be fully present.

Make Their Day: Find simple ways to show people you value them.

Play: Bring a spirit of enthusiasm, creativity and fun to work.

You’ll accomplish more.

A MODEL FOR EDUCATION FISH! connected with people in every industry. It showed how to throw yourself into everything you do with passion and purpose. FISH! became the most-watched training video in the world.

FISH! spoke strongly to educators. Their work was difficult, their efforts often unappreciated. Much lay outside their control, from government mandates to unhelpful parents. Cynicism was a constant temptation. FISH! reminded educators they could still choose to care, support, encourage, laugh and love. “It helped me get back to who I was and why I got into teaching,” said Chris Streiff, a teacher from Minnesota.

FISH! helped educators connect with students like never before. As one boy told his teacher, “FISH! helps you hear me.”

Christensen, who once planned to become a teacher, saw how well FISH! worked in schools. He wanted to do even more. So his company, ChartHouse Learning, developed FISH! For Schools—a family of K-12 resources that blended the FISH! practices with research on effective classroom management and positive behavior.

WHO ARE YOU “BEING?” FISH! For Schools builds positive cultures and strengthens relationships. It provides tools and workshops to introduce The FISH! Philosophy. It has programs for staff development and ageappropriate resources to help students apply the four practices.

The FISH! practices aren’t something extra to do. They’re about who you are “being” while you’re already doing what you’re doing. FISH! For Schools reduces time spent dealing with unproductive behaviors, so staff and students can focus on what they need to accomplish.

FISH! For Schools works best when practiced school wide, from lunchroom to gym to hallways. The St. Tammany Parish School District in Louisiana teaches and reinforces the practices in all aspects of school life, supporting its behavior program, Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports.

BUILDING NEW AWARENESS When staff and students live the four practices, it changes how they think. Staff become more mindful of their impact on others, especially as they guide behavior.

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Students become more aware of their feelings, and how to use them productively.

“They get to step back from a situation, and say, ‘I get to choose who I’m going to be today, how effective I’m going to be today and how positive I get to be today,’” said DeWayne Noble, a high school teacher in Arkansas.

SKILLS TO STOP BULLYING FISH! For Schools builds empathy.

“It’s hard to be a bully when you’re focused on making someone else’s day,” according to Candace Call, a principal in North Carolina. When students are “being there,” they are more likely to step in when they see someone being bullied.

It helps them to be sensitive to people of all backgrounds. They build social skills they take from grade to grade, into their first jobs and their families.

“The greatest thing about The FISH! Philosophy is you learn it at school, but you can take it with you everywhere,” said Tamarah Myers, a behavior specialist in Louisiana.

“FISH! captures what a great school culture looks like.”

CO-CREATING THE CULTURE In a healthy culture, every member connects with the group’s values. When Barb Stoflet, a sixth-grade teacher in suburban Minneapolis, found herself spending too much time on discipline, she enlisted her students’ help.

Together, they used FISH! For Schools to create their vision of a classroom that worked for teacher and students. Discipline problems plummeted. Stoflet had time to teach again. Her students went from passive followers to proud co-owners of the culture they created.

“I actually have more control because the students help manage the room,” said Stoflet, winner of the 2010 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

- Tamarah Myers, behavior specialist That’s what FISH! does.”

Test scores rose 31% in writing and almost 20% in reading and math. The school met its AYP goals.

“The FISH! Philosophy is a tool I can use in any school,” Call said. “It works.”

IT STARTS WITH RELATIONSHIPS FISH! For Schools builds caring relationships. When students know you care about them, they find the power within to learn and become successful adults. When parents understand you truly care about their children, they become your partners. When colleagues care for each other, they gain the strength to face their challenges together.

“You could call The FISH! Philosophy a strategy to create the culture that needs to exist to provide optimal student learning,” said principal Ann Clark. “Or you could just say it helps us take care of each other.”

A DRAMATIC TURNAROUND The FISH! Philosophy works in struggling schools as well.

When Candace Call became principal of Southmont Elementary in Asheboro, NC, the school had not met its Adequate Yearly Progress goals for three years.

Call removed the rules plastered on the walls. She and her staff modeled The FISH! Philosophy and reinforced it constantly.

“My wise granny told me, ‘Spend your time doing what you’re supposed to and you won’t do what you’re not supposed to.’ www.seenmagazine.us

To learn more about FISH! For Schools, visit fishforschools.com or call ChartHouse Learning at 1-800-328-3789.

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Company Profile

College Ready Writer’s Program step up and participate with some agency in those conversations.

It’s a very exciting and ambitious program.”

A number of benefits are arising from the College Ready Writers Program. Participating teachers report that CRWPcreated materials provide students with a new level of engagement in argument writing. Both teachers and CRWP staff members were pleased at just how deeply engaged students were in making their arguments. And more importantly, the students are looking at other points of view and changing their positions when appropriate.

The College Ready Writers Program also invites a genuine shift in the classroom, where students are at the center of learning and everyone learns together. All students’ perspectives are invited and teachers’ modeling draws the learners in. The program works long-term with teachers and though operating in rural districts mostly in the Southeast, it has gained a reputation as an effective model to improve the teaching of writing and therefore improve students’ academic writing in secondary schools.

A goal of education is to expand students’ sense of their possibilities and roles in the world. Argument writing plays a role in students’ identities in their careers, as college students, and as citizens.

The National Writing Project received a validation grant from the US Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation program. Each of the participating 44 districts are economically poor (but culturally rich) rural communities. The central goal of the College Ready Writers Program(CRWP) is to help students become skilled at writing arguments from non-fiction sources.

Teachers in each district were asked to attend 45 hours of professional development a year; some in workshop settings, but often in coaching, classroom demonstrations, and coteaching situations. The materials were constructed by teacherconsultants on the CRWP leadership team and site leaders, and emerged from the needs of the district teachers.

CRWP materials include multiple texts, often with competing points of view, on a single subject. According to Tom Fox, the program’s Associate Director, “What we hope students can do is to make sense of these competing points of view that come at them, read them carefully, assess their relevance, look at the value of their evidence, and take a stand within that conversation that exists already. We feel like that is a way that rural students, who are often isolated from these important conversations, can

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STUDENTS AS FUTURE CITIZENS Thoughtful citizens read, criticize, analyze, and create arguments daily - watching the news, surfing the internet, talking among friends, family, and co-workers.

STUDENTS AS FUTURE COLLEGE STUDENTS Argument is the common language of academic writing.

Successful college writers know about making a claim, supporting it with relevant evidence, and citing evidence according to academic conventions.

GOALS FOR ARGUMENT IN THE PRESENT Developing skills in argument writing is not just about students’ future. By practicing arguments, students become more thoughtful citizens of their school, better learners, and more capable test-takers.

STUDENTS AS LEARNERS Researching and writing arguments improve student learning beyond specific skills in writing. Students learn content knowledge, broaden their ideas, and stretch their mental capacities.

For information about the College Ready Writers Program, email i3@nwp.org.

Company Profile

Teen Science Cafés:

Raising Interest in Science and Science Careers Science Cafés for adults have become a global phenomenon in which scientists and the lay public engage in conversations about relevant and intriguing science. In 2007, Science Education Solutions, Inc. of Los Alamos, New Mexico, with a grant from the National Science Foundation, began an experiment to see if the model could be adapted to appeal to high school teenagers.

The program, Café Scientifique New Mexico, has proven highly popular with teens in four towns of diverse character in northern New Mexico for the same reason as adult programs: the blend of engaging with scientists informally on interesting science topics and the high degree of social interaction. Café Scientifique New Mexico provides teens a new perspective on the nature of science and a picture of scientists as real people leading interesting lives. The program has proven to be a rich—and fun!—complement to the science they learn in the classroom.

The teen Café Scientifique New Mexico model has been refined over its eight years of operation. With a new NSF grant, the Teen Science Café Network was formed to allow other individuals and organizations to start up their own versions of the Teen Science Café model, adapted to their local institutions and demographics.

Seven Founding Member Teen science café attendees learn about bioengineering organizations around the United through an activity with Dr. Kathryn Penzkover.

States formed the initial Network and began creating their own versions of the Teen Science Café model. The Network has now expanded to over 41 sites in 18 states across the country.

Teen Cafés have been shown to significantly change teens’ view of the importance of science in their lives, positively influence teens’ understanding of science in the news, increase their ability and confidence to use facts to support scientific points of view, and cause them to consider multiple sides of an issue before making a decision. The café events also positively influence teens’ interest in science and science careers, and reveal to them the nature of scientific research.

Dr. Jeeeun Kim shows examples of tactile images to teens at a science cafe learning about communicating science to the blind.

The usual format of a teen science café is a short 15 minute talk by a scientist, followed by an engaging hands-on component lead by the scientist. The act of getting out of one’s seat, intermingling with other teens, and having the opportunity to ask specific questions of the scientist, while engaging in a meaningful exploration, is an incredibly powerful hook for teens.

We encourage any organization that wishes to form a Teen Science Café program to request membership in the network; you will be warmly welcomed and strongly supported.

We especially want to encourage teens that think they might like to form a Teen Science Cafe on their own initiative— whether within their community or virtually with other teens via the Internet using social media. We will give you all the help you need to get started and flourish. Interested? Contact Us! The Teen Science Café Network is a dynamic, expanding, highly interactive, and mutually supportive community program that will lead in time to a vibrant Community of Practice around the Teen Science Café model.

A Guide to Starting a Teen Café can be found in the Resources section of Teen Science Café website, through their blog, and their regular teleconferences and webinars.

For information, visit www.teensciencecafe.org.

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Company Profile

Student Data,

a Top Concern of School Districts The digital transformation of our schools has dramatically altered the landscape of education and resulted in an unprecedented rise in the collection and use of student data.

Today’s classrooms use cloud-based content and teaching systems as well as tens of thousands of learning apps delivered by individual vendors; districts employ learning management systems, student information systems and multiple SaaS systems. Each of these systems collects and uses student data, and many share and disseminate data in order to function.

All of this student data being collected has created some very serious privacy concerns, and states are scrambling to keep a handle on the problem. To date, 46 states have considered 182 bills addressing student data privacy, and 12 states have passed 24 new student data privacy laws.

And the discussion continues as States ponder the future of data collected from students. Arkansas, Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Oregon have now passed a law to prohibit online service providers from using student data for commercial or secondary purposes. Maine, Nevada, Virginia and Washington have passed new laws based on a similar model from The Software & Information Industry Association’s Student Privacy Pledge.

“All of this student data being collected has created some very serious privacy concerns, and states are scrambling to keep a handle on the problem.”

In 2014, nine states passed laws that gave school districts new or expanded responsibilities around student data privacy and security. More of these are expected to follow. These expanded responsibility laws ensure that districts can no longer be passive players in the drama. They must be proactive or suffer the consequences of placing their districts in serious financial risk.

District superintendents and their staffs are now the guardians of their students’ data. The search is on for tools and resources that can help them with this new responsibility.

Through a suite of software tools for school districts, Education Framework is making data privacy manageable, transparent and simple for some of America’s smartest school districts. Their student privacy and parental consent solution, EdProtect, will analyze every potential app and website before they ever make it to the classroom. Your staff will receive an easy-to-understand score that shows at a glance how safe their student data is. You’ll be

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secure in the knowledge that you are proactively protecting your students and shielding your district from harm.

Education Framework was started on the belief that nothing is more important than the safety of our nation’s students, including their data. According to Jim Onstad, President of Education Framework, “My kids will be using school supplied iPads for the first time this year, and I want to know how their personal data will be used to promote personalized learning without exposing their information to questionable apps & websites. Many parents across the country feel the same way, but as a business leader and technologist, I want to help school districts solve this problem. We have come up with a solution that just makes sense for districts, and allows them to integrate student data privacy directly into their curriculum planning process.”

For more information on EdProtect, call 877-978-1583 or visit www.educationframework.com

Company Profile

Safe and Healthy Schools Are No Accident Serving America’s schools for more than 56 years, School Specialty continues to lead the way in providing educators with performance based solutions through the advent of SSI Guardian, a full service safety and security consulting firm.

Born out of the need for evidenced based security solutions for K-12 schools, SSI Guardian helps administrators achieve the safest learning environment possible through their all hazards comprehensive approach. This includes advanced training, security consulting, safety and security products and technologies tailored to meet schools specific safety needs and security objectives. While no two schools are identical, up until now, a one size fits all methodology has become the norm when it comes to school safety initiatives.

When it comes to the safety and wellbeing of our children, there is zero room for error, apathy or a check the box mentality.

SSI Guardian is adamant in providing schools the same level of protective security expertise that is afforded to government officials, corporate executives and Hollywood megastars.

Created by educators for educators, the firm’s advanced safe school training is based on research and is PhD authored to meet academic standards. Incorporating security best practices, school officials and parents gain piece of mind knowing the safety of their children is being steered by some of America’s most qualified security experts.

When it comes to the safety and wellbeing of our children, there is zero room for error, apathy or a check the box mentality.

Nothing less than the best available solutions are acceptable in protecting these innocent lives. “Parents entrust the safety and wellbeing of their most prized treasures to school leaders each and every school day. They deserve the right to expect that every reasonable step is being taken to ensure that their children are being protected.” Says Michael A. Yorio, the firm’s President.

In 2015, school executives are faced with unprecedented challenges in safeguarding their students, teachers and staff.

With liability concerns at the forefront, unproven practices are no longer the standard. The bar has been raised and SSI Guardian provides the guidance, advanced training and solutions required for schools to become the nation’s preeminent leaders in safe school initiatives. Recognizing the reality of budgets, the

company has created a scholarship fund that will aid schools in offsetting some of the investment associated with advanced training. Mr. Yorio would go on to say, “Our company is a longtime champion of education and I am proud to add to that legacy by making available life critical training and performance driven solutions that will prepare schools for unannounced crises. In the end, preparation is the single most component that will help save lives yet remains the most overlooked.”

In concert with with US Federal government, SSI Guardian is the only professional organization that addresses Safe and Healthy Schools through collaboration with its sibling company SPARK. Based in San Diego, SPARK has been providing evidenced based PE curriculum and training to schools since 1989. The company also distributes SPORTIME, its proprietary line of PE equipment. Studies have revealed that students learn at a higher rate when they are healthy and when they feel safe.

www.guardianprotect.com

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Higher EDUCATION

THINKING ABOUT AN M.ED.?

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By Joseph J. Diorio Professional development. Certification. Specialization. Greater earning potential. These are just a few of the reasons professionals decide to pursue a Master’s of Education (M.Ed.). Whether you’ve just completed your undergraduate degree, or you’ve been working in the teaching profession for some time, a M.Ed. is an ideal way to enhance your professional profile and prepare for a new leadership role.

Master’s degrees are also sought by those interested in administrative roles in higher education, in counseling positions, in pursuing careers in education policy, or as education scholars working in colleges or universities.

Once you’ve decided that a M.Ed. is right for you, you have an important decision to make: What M.Ed. program is right for you?

With more than a thousand schools and programs to choose from, how can you be sure you’re choosing the best one for you? According to Kim Brazil, director of graduate and professional admissions and Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development finding the right “fit” is crucial.

“All M.Ed. programs are not created equal,” says Brazil. “From faculty and curriculum to campus resources and job placement assistance, there is a wide variety of variables at play, and some programs are more rigorous than others. If you’re a student with high GRE scores, for example, look for a program that will provide the level of intellectual stimulation you need to succeed.”

“It’s important to have a good understanding of what your goals are,” adds Natalie Herring, director of Admission and Financial Aid, Penn Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. “A school or program that is perfect for an undergrad looking for teacher certification

may not be the best school or program for an experienced educator who now wants to hone his or her skills or specialize in an area such as reading or language.”

Brazil and Herring agree that there are five important factors M.Ed. candidates should evaluate when researching graduate schools and programs. Much insight can come from a simple Internet search, but there is no substitute for more in-depth research, they add. Look for opportunities to learn more via information sessions, webinars and web chats, graduate school fairs, and most importantly, an in-person visit.

In addition, speak directly with the program’s alumni, and think twice about a school that is unwilling or unable to put you in touch with recent graduates. Learn more about their experiences while in the M.Ed. program and their subsequent career paths.

Five Factors for Success Faculty Learn what the program’s faculty are doing in terms of current research, and not just papers published a decade ago or more. Is their research cited by others? Do the interests of faculty and their positions on current issues like Common Core align with yours?

Review individual Curriculum Vitaes (CVs). Are faculty members receiving grants and awards? Do they hold editor or editorial board positions at relevant academic journals? How involved are they with organizations that fund research, like the U.S. Department of Education or the National Science Foundation, or professional organizations like the American Educational Research Association? If your career goals include managing a classroom, look for faculty with practical teaching experience.

“Our alumni always remark on how well prepared they were upon

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graduation to develop curriculum, manage classrooms and handle parental issues,” Brazil says of students graduating from Peabody’s M.Ed. program.

“Not only are these student learning from tenured faculty, they’re also learning from faculty members working directly with them in student teaching situations.”

“Faculty in Penn’s GSE are highly committed to working within the local urban education community here in Philadelphia,” says Herring. “For example, thanks to a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences within the U.S. Department of Education, our faculty and students are working on The School District of Philadelphia (SDP)-Penn Graduate School of Education Shared Solutions, a formal research that directly applies to improvement efforts in the SDP.” Curriculum and Research Opportunities Don’t just look at the name of the program. Dig deep into the curriculum as well. To get a better understanding of the coursework in the M.Ed. program you’re considering, visit the campus and sit in on a few classes. Are class sizes small so that students are able to build personal relationships with faculty? Does the curriculum allow students to put theory into practice?

“Connecting the dots between theory and practice is where knowledge is really created and where you can start to change the lives of children,” says Brazil. “It’s one of the keys to success for students in Peabody’s M.Ed. program.”

“The University of Pennsylvania was founded by Benjamin Franklin, who had the mission of creating an institution that provided a useful and

practical education,” adds Herring. “We continue that mission today by bridging the gap between our classrooms and the local school district.”

The program should also provide opportunities for students to specialize and conduct research in areas that interest them.

“The ability to conduct research and publish is an important component of an M.Ed. education,” says Brazil. “It gives students networking opportunities with faculty and peers and is an excellent way to show you can think critically and present your thoughts in a cogent manner.”

“Even if a student is not pursuing a Ph.D. or Ed.D., academic and scholarly writing is an excellent skill to have, especially if it is an area about which you are passionate,” Herring adds, noting that after graduating, not all students are able to take advantage of the research-related resources of a world-class university like Penn.

Job Placement Assistance and Career Help Unlike other professional programs, such as business schools, that have been doing an excellent job with career assistance for decades, graduate schools of education are just starting to offer these services. From mock interviews and Q&A sessions with current teachers and administrators, to resume and portfolio development, the resources a school devotes to career assistance is typically a good measure of the program’s quality.

“Not only can our students take advantage of the career assistance services available through the wider Vanderbilt University, we also have a dedicated career center here at Peabody for students at the graduate level,” Brazil says, noting that 94 percent of those students searching for jobs upon graduation in May found them by September 30. “Plus, our faculty get

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involved, helping students network and build a career path.”

“A school’s alumni can also give you an indication of the effectiveness of its career services,” adds Herring, who notes that Penn’s GSE makes this information available on its web site.

Campus Resources and Student Life While most M.Ed. students will spend the majority of their time immersed in their studies and student teaching activities, professional and social organizations and outlets allow students to have a fuller life while undergoing their studies.

“Although graduate study can be rigorous, students can set their own life pace,” says Herring. “At Penn, we have religious and faith-based organizations, a family center for married students, ethnic organizations and other social groups that provide support and fellowship. Through our international program, we also have opportunities for students to study and work abroad.”

“The school’s physical campus resources are also important,” says Brazil, suggesting that prospective M.Ed. students check out campus libraries, technology centers and recreational facilities. “Campus safety is also important, especially if the student will be taking classes at night.” Anyone can view campus crime statistics, which the Clery Act mandates that institutions publish, online.

Education Reform, Special Needs and Leadership To borrow a marketing phrase, today’s graduate schools of education are not like your father’s. Indeed, the field of education has progressed

at a rapid pace in recent years, with reforms including the oft-debated Common Core.

Herring notes that students of Penn’s GSE program go on to careers not only as teachers in primary and secondary schools, but also as medical educators, chief learning officers in corporations, and various entrepreneurial endeavors.

“A diverse program that combines educational curriculum with curriculum in psychology, linguistics, quantitative methods, and leadership theory gives our students a wide choice of career paths,” Herring concludes. “Not every graduate school of education provides such a background.”

Brazil points to education schools as drivers of educational and social change. Special education is one case in point. “Peabody practically invented the field in the 1950s and 60s,” she says, and it remains the leading program today. “Public primary and secondary schools often struggle with the sensitivities required for special needs students. Our strength in this area not only provides a solid education for students interested in special education; it also makes its way throughout our entire curriculum to the benefit of all our students.

“At Peabody, we are proud of our role as a source of knowledge for education reform,” she adds. “Evidence says that there is a need to do things differently, and schools that stress rigorous experimental research often provide a higher quality education.”

Joseph J. Diorio is Director of External Relations at Vanderbilt University, Peabody College of Education and Human Development.

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Higher EDUCATION

Finding the Niche in Higher Education

By Kathy Ermler

According to experts, by 2022, one-third of all degrees awarded will be master’s degrees. However, this does not mean there is enormous growth occurring in graduate programs. In fact, based on the Council of Graduate Studies’ (CGS) most recent graduate enrollment survey, graduate enrollment is decreasing, particularly in the large, mainstay graduate programs of Education and Business.

Growth opportunities in graduate programs in the future will occur in programs and areas outside the currently dominate fields of Education and Business. The best opportunities for growth within these dominate fields will occur in specialty and/or niche programs, which attract new populations of students needing assistance with career development and advancement and make use of the resources already in place for traditional graduate degree programs (e.g., equipment, facilities, and faculty).

Specialty and niche programs are integrally tied to professional and career opportunities, which promote the various stages of career and professional growth (e.g. starting a career, advancing a career, changing or crossing a career). While undergraduate programs typically focus on career starts, graduate programs appeal to students looking for ways to advance, change or cross careers. New graduate programs need to adapt to the changing needs of the professional job market and the changing roles graduates are expected to assume in their professional duties.

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Career Starters A person interested in teaching may initially focus on the assurance of a job after the investment of a substantial financial investment. According to the U.S. Department of Education report on teacher shortages, the teaching areas with the consistent shortage noted nationwide are Special Education, Mathematics, Science and English as a Second Language (ESL). An individual looking to enter the education field might want to give serious thought to majoring or minoring in one of these areas. The national trends in each of these areas are: 1. Special Education — Ninety-eight percent of all school districts in the United States report a shortage of special education teachers and, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, the demand for this area is expected to increase by 17 percent through 2018.

2. STEM Education — According to the U.S. Department of Education report on teacher shortage, STEM Education are consistently reported as high need fields in every state.

3. English as a Second Language Education — according to a report by the Florida Department of Education, 17 percent of teachers teaching ESL classes are not appropriately credentialed.

A person beginning his or her career would be well served to look

into a graduate program with a specialty area in a high need area. With this knowledge, graduate programs in education need to become more focused on offering specialty graduate programs that address these needs, promote these teaching areas and recruit teachers in other content areas to these areas. For example, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas are in need of highly qualified elementary, middle and secondary teachers. Too often graduate programs separate and segment these areas rather than offering a coherent STEM graduate specialty program that provides a unified and specialized curriculum focusing on all four areas.

Career Advancers In order to advance a career in Education, teachers should look for a graduate program to provide the opportunity to advance in their chosen profession; either through an increase in salary or through a position of increased responsibility and challenge. In exploring graduate programs for career advancement, a person should look for graduate programs that have customized offerings featuring flexible delivery, stackable credentials, practical experience, and/or accelerated format. While these considerations may not represent “specialization,” they do offer specialized delivery options, especially suited for the individuals looking to advance their career.

1. Stackable credentials may take the form of specialized certifications (e.g. certification in severely disabled or autism spectrum disorders) or other types of sequential credentials that accumulate over time (e.g. fitness technology). Students would be able to develop specialized skills in areas related to their professional interest in a shorter time, for lesser cost and have a clear market value and relation to a professional position.

2. Micro-credentials provide students with a specific set of skills and receive some form of recognition for acquiring these skills. An example of microcredential in education is through a group called Digital Promise, an independent nonprofit organization that offers education micro-credentials for teachers.

3. F lexible online or hybrid degrees allow individuals to maintain their current professional position and also work

toward an advanced degree. Students returning for their master’s degree are more likely to be employed and want to maintain their current professional position instead of returning to school full-time. As a result, graduate programs offering great flexibility in delivery — online, hybrid, intense weekends, or evenings — are more attractive to this population.

4. Accelerated degree options permit students to obtain their degree in a short time frame. This shortened time may be the result of either an integrated undergraduate/graduate degree or a redefinition of an academic term. For example, a typical course is built around a semester or 16 week term. In an accelerated program, a course may be built around an eight week term.

Career Changers As teachers mature into their professional role of teacher, new challenges, new opportunities and new professional avenues begin to appear.Often, these

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new opportunities require a new set of skills the person did not develop in their undergraduate or graduate program or in their teaching role.In fact, some of the fastest growth can be found in “niche” graduate programs, which cross disciplinary fields and are, according to Education Advisory Board (EAB), tied closely to professional opportunities. Examples of these types of graduate programs include English as a Second Language, cyber security/data analytics, or social media and mobile technology.

Final Thoughts Experts indicate that 60 percent of the jobs that will exist in the next 10 years have not been invented yet. As a result of this rapid change, education, business and industry will require a new set of professional skills every two or three years.

The “shelf-life” of educational degrees and certificates has become very short and higher education must be able to respond more quickly to these changes and provide the requisite educational changes to handle these needs.

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Historically, institutions of higher education have approached change and innovation slowly and cautiously. Often, the process of developing a new degree program is an intensive process; a process, which may take one to two years for, a new degree program to be approved and begin accepting students. With the “shelf-life” of degrees shortening and the demand for new skills with establish professional positions, institutions of higher education need to become more agile and accelerate their ability to modify, add and delete programs that meet the needs of the changing professional job market. Specialty graduate programs, niche graduate programs, stackable graduate certificates and microcredentialing can be used by institutions of higher education to respond more quickly and efficiently to the rapidly changing educational landscape.

Kathy Ermler, Ed.D. is Dean of the Graduate School and Distance Education at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.

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Administrator resources

When Incentives Harm Performance What Scientists Know That Schools Don’t

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By Todd Whitlock The way most leaders reward employees is wrong and harming their organizations, said Dan Pink, author and behavioral expert, during a TED talk on the puzzle of motivation. And he has a slew of social science experiments to back up his claims.

Traditionally, organizations have sought to reward employees through extrinsic motivators: money, awards, gifts, an afternoon off or a swanky holiday party.

And yet, studies replicated around the world for more than 40 years show that contingent motivators (“if you do this, you get that”) don’t work. Worse yet, they often damage performance.

“This is not a feeling. This is not a philosophy. This is a fact,” says Pink, adding “this is one of the most robust findings in social science, and also one of the most ignored.”

20th Century Incentives = 21st Century Kryptonite Let’s back up a moment: The carrotand-stick model does work in some cases — 20th century tasks, to be specific, when there’s a simple set of rules and a clear destination. In those scenarios, extrinsic rewards work by narrowing our focus and restricting our possibilities.

The problem is that routine, rulebased, left-brain work is fairly easy to outsource or automate these days.

“Software can do it faster and low-cost providers can do it cheaper,” says Pink.

By contrast, what really matters for organizations today are the right brain, creative, conceptual kinds of abilities.

“Think about your own work,” Pink argues: “Do the problems you face have a clear set of rules and a single solution? No! The rules are mystifying, and the solution, if it exists at all, is surprising and not obvious.”

For those problems, the if-then reward system doesn’t work because it dulls thinking and blocks creativity. In fact, studies directed by leading economists show that once a task calls for “even rudimentary cognitive skills,” higher incentives have a negative impact in overall performance.

It’s a huge mismatch between what

science knows and what organizations do.

When Science Contradicts Legislative Directives As it happens, research findings seem to be at odds with legislative directives that have replaced collective bargaining with performance-based pay in most states and school districts. Rewarding stronger performers with more money seems like a

The carrot-andstick model does work in some cases — 20th century tasks, to be specific, when there’s a simple set of rules and a clear destination.

In those scenarios, extrinsic rewards work by narrowing our focus and restricting our possibilities. logical approach, but one that is fraught with flaws.

In the new framework, schools aren’t encouraged to give teachers constructive feedback for continuous improvement, for fear that less-than-stellar feedback might hurt teachers’ ratings and disqualify them for raises they need to provide for their families.

Meanwhile, new teachers can’t be expected to be effective during their first few years on the job. I certainly wasn’t, based on current criteria. But if we can’t

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give honest feedback and identify needs for improvement while still rewarding teachers’ efforts and giving them the opportunity to increase their standard of living through a salary increase, we’re doing all of us a disservice.

To be clear, financial reward does matter when our basic needs — and our families — depend on it. Pink argues that employee engagement can only happen when we pay people adequately and fairly, getting the issue of money off the table first. Once those basic needs are met, money can’t compete with intrinsic drivers.

A real-life illustration is a teacher I’ve met, whom I’ll call John. John is a topnotch, senior-level teacher who’s also financially stable. He’s committed to giving his best to his students, but decided to forgo the pay increase so he won’t have to deal with the increased bureaucracy to boost his paycheck. To him, more dollars amount to zero motivation to comply with added formalities to prove his effectiveness.

We see the same phenomenon on a smaller scale with school fund raisers: At some point, kids stop caring about the bonus trinkets they get for selling so many candy bars or whatever the merchandise may be. Either they care about fundraising because of what it means for their school and peers, or they don’t.

Love My Job, Hate My Job Last summer, KQED, an NPR station in California, reported on a Gallup poll of 170,000 Americans — 10,000 of whom were teachers. Curiously, the poll identified teaching as the second most satisfying profession — after medicine — but close to last for workplace engagement and happiness.

“Of all the professions we studied in the U.S., teachers are the least likely to say that their opinions count and the least likely to say that their supervisor creates an open and sharing environment,” said Brandon Busteed, executive director of Gallup Education. “What our research reveals,” he explained, “is an important nuance that teachers rate their lives overall very highly. They love what they do in terms of helping people.”

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“But they often dislike their bosses, the policies they must abide by, the tests that govern their lives, the low pay and lack of respect shown by other adults,” the report continued. “It’s a big opportunity to try and get this right across school systems, but also a tragedy in that all these people who otherwise would be off the charts with their performance if we could just improve their workplace environment,” Busteed concluded.

Stop Acting on Folklore, Start Acting on Science Examining the science of motivation, Pink warns us not to adopt policies regarding talent and people based on “assumptions that are outdated, unexamined, and rooted more in folklore than science.” Put simply, stop trying to entice people with a sweeter carrot or correct them with a sharper stick.

So what does motivate teachers? Intrinsic drivers: the desire to do things because they matter, because we like them, because they’re interesting and part of something bigger, says Pink.

This new operating system revolves around three elements: • Autonomy: the urge to direct our own lives • Mastery: the desire to get better at something that matters • Purpose: the yearning to do what we do in service of something larger than ourselves What does this mean in the real world? Participation in

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decision-making, independence and expression of creativity are all drivers for high internal motivation. Heck, if nothing else, teachers want to be listened to.

“All we ever hear is ‘Well, you can make suggestions,’ and then it’s a dead issue. You never get a response, and I just wish they would listen to us more,” said George Cronin, a social studies teacher from Georgia, in an interview with KQED, calling out school administrators for being out of touch with what’s going on in classrooms. As for what motivates him, Cronin said equipping kids to succeed in tomorrow’s marketplace is what keeps him going.

For Erfan Mojaddam, a technology teacher in California, students are the reason he wakes up in the morning, he told KQED. Mojaddam feels he’s at an advantage because he works at a private school where it’s easy to make changes. “People get on board if it’s a good idea. It’s very different in a public school, where I know teachers have great ideas but it’s very difficult to make a change.”

Other interviewed teachers from across the country echoed similar feedback: Love the kids; hate not having a voice or the freedom to do what I know is best for the students under my care.

Finding a New Path Within Old Boundaries While many administrators already understand the extrinsic/ intrinsic dynamics and impact on motivation, they still must operate under stringent directives by legislative bodies. How can administrators adopt an intrinsic-focused approach while complying with extrinsic-focused mandates? How do you meet daunting data-capture and evaluation requirements in a way that’s meaningful and beneficial to educators and students alike — not an empty compliance exercise?

In our experience helping dozens of schools transform their teacher evaluation program, some of the greatest improvements teachers have reported is that they’re seeing administrators more — actually having conversations about what’s happening in their classrooms. Once they get over the fear of interacting with administrators, they tell us the ongoing dialogue helps to improve both the school climate and their own performance as educators.

They’re also excited to take ownership of their professional development and receive transparent feedback with clear expectations and a growth plan that’s customized to them — not a one-size-fits-all roadmap.

This process hinges on elevating teachers above metrics and making data capture as easy, non-intrusive and accessible as possible, so that it actually facilitates teachers’ daily routine and helps to advance the goals of both teachers and administrators.

Pink recaps three findings we can’t afford to neglect or minimize: • The 20th century reward-and-punishment approach we’ve come to expect as a natural part of work can be effective, but only in a “surprisingly narrow band of circumstances.”

• If-then rewards often destroy creativity.

• The secret to high performance lies in the unseen intrinsic

Traditionally, organizations have sought to reward employees through extrinsic motivators: money, awards, gifts, an afternoon off or a swanky holiday party.

drive to do things for their own sake, because they matter.

What’s the best part? “We already know this,” says Pink. “Science confirms what we already know in our hearts.” Neglect it to your organization’s own detriment.

Todd Whitlock is the CEO for Standard For Success, an employee evaluation solution built by teachers. As a former educator, Todd served 20 years as a classroom teacher, and technology, curriculum and testing coordinator. Todd is an EDTECH Leadership Award finalist, TechPoint Bridge Builder Award recipient, Mira winner for contributions to K-12 education, and was recognized as a rising school leader by the National School Board Association (NSBA). www.seenmagazine.us

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Administrator resources

LEVERAGING

EDUCATOR

TALENT Principles from Practice

By Richard W. Lemons

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Stop! Before you continue reading, answer the following question: What are the attributes of the ideal educator for your district? No, don’t read on. Please pause and answer the question first. If it is more useful, reduce the grain size.

For example, who is the ideal principal?

What would the ideal kindergarten teacher look like? What are the attributes of the high school counselor? Once you have an emerging picture, proceed.

Human talent — the individual and collective resources embodied within professionals — represents the best chance for schools and districts to substantially improve student outcomes.

Consider some recent research findings. The difference between the most effective and least effective teachers can account for over a school year of learning. Similarly, students in schools led by highly effective principals tend to acquire multiple months of learning beyond those in schools of average principals.

Early evidence also suggests these effects are greatest for our most vulnerable youth.

Research on the relative impact of effective teachers and principals helped kick-start our nation’s current fascination with educator evaluation. As a result, we’ve seen intense efforts by policy makers and philanthropists to insert rationality and outcome data into supervision processes. Arguments over the ideal aspects of evaluation aside, providing educators accurate and useful information so they can understand and improve their craft are a worthy pursuit.

Unfortunately, efforts to implement complex and calibrated evaluation rubrics have often overshadowed other critical components of human capital systems.

If districts are to capitalize on the vast investments they make in the educator corps, more is needed than new postconferences and rating instruments. Districts must develop strategic and coherent systems for identifying particular forms of talent, leveraging high-impact performers, and professionalizing the workplace.

Principles of Strategic Talent Management Over the last 15 years my colleagues and I have researched and partnered with successful districts of varying regions, sizes and demographics. Over those years, we have witnessed the development of strategic, coherent, and sometimes creative systems for utilizing their most precious organizational resource — people. The details differ by context. Yet across these districts there are important principles that can help us all better leverage educators’ talents in improving learning and life outcomes for students.

These principles do not comprise a comprehensive recipe. Instead, these are ideas needing application and adaptation to your particular district — your schools, your educators, and your students. Each article in this series will explore one or two of these principles and provide an interactive tool to assist you and

PRINCIPLES FOR LEVERAGING EDUCATOR TALENT

Principle 1: Identify YOUR Ideal Educator Principle 2: Invest in Educator Learning Principle 3: Know Your Top Performers (And Let Them Know You Know)

Principle 4: Create Space for Educators to Be Professionals

your leadership team in applying the principle.

Principle 1: Identify YOUR Ideal Educator The research is clear. Teachers and principals matter . . . a lot. The uncomfortable truth within this research is that some educators matter more than others. Fueled by this knowledge, schools and districts are often desperate to recruit, screen and select the top of the talent pool. This is a sound response, right? If exceptional teachers and principals produce dramatically higher results, then why not hire more of them?

Yet this might not be enough. Many of the districts we have studied go further.

Instead of looking for general talent, they are looking for particular attributes aligned to the needs of the district.

In each of these cases, the districts are organizations with explicit approaches to school improvement. In the parlance of my school improvement colleagues, they have a defined a particular theory of action — a shared and articulated logic that explains which strategies are intended to produce which results for whom and by when. These are districts not trying to be all things to all people.

Moreover, these same districts carefully cultivate a specific professional culture that defines how adults work together and how they interact with students, families and the broader community. These cultures do not develop by accident; the customs and norms are deliberately designed to support the district’s approach to improvement.

Taken together, the particulars of a district’s theory of action and its desired culture point toward an ideal educator profile. Subsequently, these public school districts take great care in defining the specific competencies, experiences and dispositions needed for their particular culture and improvement approach.

Farmington Public Schools Farmington Public Schools is a suburban district in central Connecticut. Its theory of action, which is explicitly articulated on its website, is focused in part on improving student learning by enhancing professional learning, collaboration and reflective practice.

Moreover, Farmington educators believe that they will better prepare young people for the 21st century only after students are allowed to design and facilitate their own learning.

Complementing this theory of action is a culture committed to honoring collaboration and professional risk-taking, especially around honoring and listening to student voice. Its

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culture is so strong that educators across the entire state have heard of “The Farmington Way” — an oft-repeated shorthand for how business is done in the district.

The superintendent and assistant superintendents describe the clear vision that they hold for potential teachers and principals. The district is looking for reflective and hardworking educators who believe in the ability of adults and students alike to continually develop through hard work and persistence. Openness to learning and collaboration is a must. Fixed mindset educators need not apply! Space does not allow for a detailed explanation of their hiring process.

Suffice it to say, Farmington has constructed intricate systems for gathering diverse evidence that can predict whether potential candidates possess the essential competencies, dispositions and skills to survive and thrive.

Applying this At Home As this point, some of you are asking, “Okay, what’s new about this?” My honest answer, not much. Highly effective organizations know what they are about, where they are going, and how they plan to get there. As a result, successful organizations from Southwest Airlines to Google constantly define and refine the definition of the ideal employee. Effective districts are no different. Unfortunately, our experience is that far too few districts have dedicated the time to map the skills of their workforce to their theory of action and culture.

Using the provided template, work with your team to first identify your theory of action and secondly to clarify the cultural attributes most critical to improving student learning. Using your answers to parts one and two, complete step three by defining the most essential educator competencies, experiences and dispositions. The template focuses exclusively on teachers and principals, but you could apply this to any role. After you have completed the exercise, ask yourselves: Do your current systems help you attract and screen such individuals?

Up Next: Smart investments in professional learning and knowing your high-impact educators.

Richard W. Lemons, EdD is Deputy Director at the Connecticut Center for School Change and Founder, Leading Education Practice, LLC. He works directly with numerous districts to developing leadership capacity, increase systemic instructional improvement, and implement effective human capital systems. Reach him at rwlemons@gmail.com.

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Administrator resources

Evaluations

The Conversations Have Changed

By Laura Burpo, Keith Ecker, Jane Newblom, and Derek Arrowood 78

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Conversations regarding the evaluation process in Indiana have changed dramatically over the past few years. Recently, a group of four educators met at a local diner in small town Indiana to discuss the changes and enjoy breakfast. Laura Burpo (oatmeal and rye toast) is in her second year as a social studies teacher at Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis. Manual is one of the take-over schools currently being operated by Charter Schools USA. Burpo has demonstrated building level leadership acumen in a short time and has been acknowledged as a teacher who makes a difference in a challenging climate as her building’s Teacher of the Year.

Jane Newblom (egg white omelet and orange juice) is in her second year as principal of Sheridan High School in Sheridan, Indiana.

As a teacher, Newblom was runner-up for Indiana Teacher of the Year and also received accolades for her work as an assistant principal.

She has dramatically changed the learning culture of the high school she serves by focusing teachers to frequently assess student growth and make informed instructional changes based on the data. Keith Ecker (western omelet and black coffee) has served as principal of Hamilton Heights Primary School for 12 years. Ecker is recognized as a role model for elementary school leadership.

His quiet, yet focused leadership style helps teachers focus on student data while not forgetting to focus on the student. Derek Arrowood (biscuits and gravy) is in his first year as superintendent at Hamilton Heights School Corporation and eighth year as a superintendent. All four of the diners are avid David Letterman fans and compiled this list of “Top Ten Ways the Evaluation Conversation in Indiana has Changed.”

1. Frequency — Laura was shocked to learn that prior evaluation systems only required formal evaluations for veteran teachers as infrequently as every third year.

She has been observed 10 times in two years at Manual. Derek wasn’t observed 10 times in his four years in the classroom.

2. Teacher Input — The goal setting system in place at all three districts gives teachers an opportunity to have input on what their focus will be for the year. The assessments used to gather data to analyze the goals may be limited in some cases, but teachers in these three systems have shared that they appreciate the opportunity to develop those focus areas based on their own data analysis.

3. Student Data — The fear of teacher failure based on the accomplishments of students between the ages of five and 18 on a standardized test is appropriately frightening.

Jane shared that, especially at the high school level, teachers take much more ownership of their student data from start to finish of the year than in years past. These same teachers also are quick to express concern over student preparedness coming in to a class. Keith shared that this is also a concern at the primary level. Teachers are expected to be accountable for prior student knowledge that they weren’t around to teach. Laura shared that the high level of mobility of her students makes it difficult to even create a static targeted group to assess for progress.

4. Veteran Teachers being Highly Effective … or Not — Both Keith and Jane felt that veteran teachers especially over emphasized the value of a highly effective versus an effective rating. In the Hamilton Heights system teachers in both categories received the same merit pay while in the Sheridan system both of these ratings allowed for promotion on the state approved pay schedule. While teachers focused on ratings, the principals focused on gathering information to help the teacher become a better instructor. This disconnect was seen as more of a flaw in point of view rather than a flaw in the system. Laura shared that as a beginning teacher her primary goal was job retention and that being rated highly effective was rewarding. What she valued most was administrative advice on how to better reach her students.

5. Teacher Leadership — This category was noted as one that a teacher truly has control over. Young teachers like Laura could show evidence of taking leadership opportunities and growing as an educator because of those opportunities. Both Keith and Jane encourage teachers to continually show evidence of leadership actions within and outside of their classroom.

6. Rubric Guides Me — Teachers clearly understood expectations based on the clear and concise rubrics being used for observations and final evaluations. In several shared stories, teachers took one of the multiple observation opportunities to demonstrate a specific rubric benchmark. This level of lesson plan focus to the evaluation system would have been unheard of just a decade ago.

7. Transparency — Both Hamilton

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Heights and Sheridan use a web-based tool for observations and evaluation finalization.

This tool makes the entire process very transparent for teachers. Teachers can see almost immediately what the observer has said and commented on and be prepared to discuss prior to the post observation conference.

This has allowed teachers to be better able to answer the why questions that inevitably occur during post observation conferences.

8. Attendance — Teachers in both systems have discussed guidelines for what appropriate levels of attendance should be for teachers. The expectations of student attendance have been made clear for years as well as the consequences for lack of attendance. Conversations are at least taking place regarding what should be an appropriate expectation of teacher attendance. This conversation was taboo several years ago, now it is at least part of the conversation.

9. Open Door Policy — Laura is not surprised to see her principal walk into her classroom with his iPad unannounced and start tapping away completing an observation.

Jane and Keith shared that this type of visit may have been construed as a distraction for teachers in previous years, now it is the norm.

10. Professional Development Matters — Teachers now focus on specific professional development that will help them improve areas specific to their evaluation document.

Trainings are now sought out that can help a teacher improve evaluation processes and focus on areas that the evaluator will acknowledge as evidence of growth.The company is always better than the meal, and breakfast in small town Indiana in the late spring of 2014 was no different. From the point of view of an early career classroom teacher to the experience of a veteran elementary principal the conversations about the evaluation process have clearly changed. The goal of the evaluation process has always been to improve instruction.

The biggest difference is prior to five years ago these were sometime conversations and now they occur almost daily.

Laura Burpo is a social studies teacher at Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis.

Keith Ecker is principal at Hamilton Heights Primary School in Arcadia, Indiana.

Jane Newblom is principal at Sheridan High School in Sheridan, Indiana.

Derek Arrowood is superintendent of Hamilton Heights School Corporation.

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Administrator resources

CENTRAL OFFICE THE MISSING KEY TO SCHOOL SUCCESS

By Cathy Mincberg We all know that schools have a tough job. Schools willingly agree to plan, nurture, discipline, inspire and lead students every day.

But there are many jobs schools just don’t want to tackle. Most principals really don’t want to spend time on how to get the bills paid, the tax revenue calculated or the children delivered to and from school. Principals do not want to plan a highly nutritious $1.39 meal for hundreds of students or even spend the time visiting all the college campuses to find teacher candidates.

Specialists best perform these jobs in a way that seamlessly supports schools. In many districts, these support functions are performed beautifully.

But, if you have spent time in a poorly functioning district, all too often you have witnessed principals and schools struggling, not only with challenges students present, but also with just trying to get the basic support they need. I spent 14 years on the board of education for the seventh largest school district in the country and an additional 10 years as the chief operating officer of two large urban districts . The complaints about the lack of service from central office were endless during my board tenure. Once I was working in central office, I better understood the challenges and the opportunities for improvement.

Let’s begin with the challenges. One of the most infuriating and progress-­stifling central office behaviors I witnessed was the reluctance to make a decision. Most of the staff was either not empowered to make a decision or was afraid to do so. Large organizations like school districts can only work if they are well oiled with timely and thoughtful decision-­making. So why should well-­intentioned folks be reluctant to make a decision?

Central office and the staff are invisible. Inside petty tyrants can reign without the visibility and parent involvement that happens in schools. These tyrants could be board members, the superintendent, administrators, administrative assistants and even custodians. Everyone has his or her territory at risk and all too often they only receive negative feedback when action is taken. There are no parents to protest on their behalf. Talking to anyone outside of your chain of command 80

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is discouraged. So the path of least resistance is to just say NO when you are asked to take a risk and make a decision.

The consequences for making the wrong decision are derision, loss of territory and sometimes public upbraiding. There are few if any upsides to taking risks and making decisions: no thank you from the schools, few acknowledgements of good work by your peers and always a chance of bringing negative attention to yourself.

The second issue I found that prevents central office from becoming high functioning is a lack of understanding of and focus on the customer. It takes a concerted effort to understand just what customer service really means and to make it central to your daily work. Bus drivers that hassle the students on their buses, HR/staff who take vacation during the peak hiring season, maintenance departments that make repairs based on who knows whom and food service departments that refuse to recognize the changing desires of students are just the tip of the lack of customer service iceberg.

Finally, dysfunctional central offices are this way because they are not rational organizations. When faced with chaos, illogical decision-making, a lack of alignment of resources and programs and punishment for risk taking, the district builds a “take care of myself only” mentality across the organization. In my experience, this lack of a rational organization plays the largest role in turning well meaning central office staff into an ineffectual support for schools.

For decades, we have focused on our schools. They get training, grants, and special attention and care because they are delivering education directly to students. But schools are not the only part of a school district that needs training, improved culture and empowerment to improve.

Central office can and must undergo a culture change. There must be a constant and purposeful discussion/focus supported by metrics on central office’s role in supporting schools. Schools, principals, other departments, teachers, parents and students are all the customers of the central services. Each department has to engage these customers to CENTRAL OFFICE PAGE 82

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Central Office

Every department needs rational systems and processes that are transparent and fair. If there is doubt about just what this means, ask understand just what they consider good support. For example, it is the customer. Schools and other departments will be glad to explain not enough to have the resumes of potentially great teachers. HR must their frustrations and help develop logical systems and processes. All of also make those resumes readily accessible to every hiring principal. these systems and processes need metrics and constant monitoring to Each department should prepare a list of areas or activities for which ensure effectiveness in creating a schools have requested support. Each of those activities or areas should customer focus. have metrics regularly collected and discussed. These metrics may Remember though that every school district has people who love include customer service surveys, tracking systems and reports out of chaos. They have learned to operate outside of the rules and make the the current data systems. All metrics should be prominently displayed system work for them. They are not interested in fairness or effective and discussed by the department team. systems. They will be the key opponents you have to creating a Much to the horror of my central office colleagues, I declared that rational customer service organization. I found that putting in a work the HR hiring managers and I were going to mutually determine the order tracking system provided first time clarity concerning which metrics to measure their success rates at filling vacant positions and work was important and which was really getting done. A couple post them on huge posters in the common area. My fellow cabinet of senior principals objected to using the system because they were members were sure this would be embarrassing and cause low morale unable to call longtime friends for service. But the vast majority of in the HR department. To the contrary, the hiring managers took principals was not “connected” and was hugely appreciative of the this as an exciting but friendly competition. Every day I found hiring creation of a fair system. managers gathered around the metrics billboard strategizing about Finally, central office must become a team. There must be a shared how to meet their goals. culture of high performance and effectiveness, a shared sense of value That year we had the best vacancy fill rate that we had seen in and purpose and a set of shared behaviors around measuring just 20 years. how well each department is doing its job and serving its customers.

Starting with the superintendent’s cabinet and continuing down, Secondly, central office must become a rational and logical each employee must see his or her personal role in serving children. collection of programs, systems and processes. Every action in one From the way a bus driver greets a student in the morning to the department has a rolling effect in other areas. Without understanding way a payroll question is handled online without requiring that and taking this into consideration, department actions continue to be the employee leave work to deal with the issue. This includes the irrational and chaotic to schools and other departments. maintenance worker who cleans up at the end of a job to the technology call in support that keeps computers humming without down time. The list of ways central office can support schools is almost endless. The time spent discussing whom the customer really is, what the customer really needs and how to best measure it will be some of the strongest team building activities you can design. The positive feedback from those customers as they begin to see and feel the improvements will encourage, An Ohio based company that embolden and create the team. And who has been making flashlights, doesn’t love being a part of a winning team?

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STEM

Career Pathways: Bridging the Opportunity Gap

By James E. “Gene” Bottoms, Ed.D.

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(This is part one of a two part series.)

The Southern Regional Education Board’s Commission on Career and Technical Education (CTE) spent a year grappling with a problem that is not unique to the SREB region, but is shared by states across the country. That is, for too many of our young people, high school — the last publicly funded opportunity many have to earn a credential of value in the marketplace — is a bridge to nowhere. Too few students are graduating from high school with the academic, technical and workplace skills they need to earn postsecondary credentials and secure jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage in the career fields that matter to our state and regional economies.

Labor market economists estimate that by 2020, about two-thirds of all jobs in this country will require some form of postsecondary education, meaning a certificate, a credential or a degree at the associate level or higher. Many of these jobs — sometimes referred to as “middleskill jobs” — pay between $35,000 and $75,000 a year and can be found in such diverse areas as advanced manufacturing, energy, health care, information technology, and the broad field of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The individuals who secure them must have job- and industry-specific technical, technological and work-ready employability skills. But they also must be “lifelong learners” — equipped with the foundational literacy, math and science knowledge and skills needed to continually “reskill” and adapt to the changing needs of the 21st century workplace.

American high schools are not preparing lifelong learners.

Although 80 percent of students now graduate on time from high school, not enough are graduating with the academic, technical and employability skills they need to earn postsecondary credentials and secure good jobs. Most states are still a very long way from meeting SREB’s goal that 80 percent or more of all students should graduate ready for college and careers.

In fact, SREB’s analyses of educational attainment data suggest that at least half of all students entering ninth grade will fail to earn a credible postsecondary credential or degree by their mid 20s.

Labor market economists estimate that by 2020, about twothirds of all jobs in this country will require some form of postsecondary education, meaning a certificate, a credential or a degree at the associate level or higher.

Overall, SREB’s analyses of educational and labor market data suggest that the bridge from high school to postsecondary attainment and career opportunities is broken.

Too many young adults are being left behind in the transition from high school to college and well-paying jobs.

Too many spend their 20s underemployed or unemployed before finally enrolling in community and technical colleges when they are nearly 30.

We must do better.

The Commission’s final report, “Credentials for All: An Imperative for SREB States,” provides a strong vision of what American high schools must become if our states are to meet the bold goal of doubling the number of young adults who earn a credible postsecondary credential by their mid 20s over the next decade.

Such credentials must be driven by labor market demand and offer value to the students who earn them, to the employers who hire them and to our economy.

“Credentials for All” gives states a set of eight actions they can

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take to build career pathways that connect the classroom with the workplace and prepare students to succeed in postsecondary education and 21st-century careers. Career pathways can help states transform their educational systems, increase credential and degree attainment and ensure their future economic security. They can also help states: • I ncrease college- and career-readiness rates •R aise graduation rates in all high schools • Expand work-based learning experiences for high school and postsecondary students • Increase postsecondary enrollment, retention and completion of credentials and degrees •H elp more young adults secure good-paying jobs in high-demand career fields The report’s first and most important action describes the five essential elements of career pathways that build bridges from high school to postsecondary education and good jobs. High-quality career pathways: Combine college-ready academics and challenging, projectbased technical studies.

American high schools must focus on more than just academics if they are to raise graduation rates and prepare more students for success after graduation. Career pathways empower high schools to improve the quality of their CTE by blending it with a college-ready academic core that is tailored to meet students’ career and postsecondary goals. Rigorous, project-based assignments are critical to this element of career pathways. Such assignments may take weeks to complete and require students to apply a range of academic, technical, technological, cognitive and workplace skills to solve real-world problems. Such assignments are the opposite of the old 1970s “drill sheet” approach to instruction because in a projectbased approach, teachers empower students to take ownership of their learning. And in SREB’s “Advanced Career” pathways, local business partners are involved in evaluating and judging student projects.

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Align secondary, postsecondary and workplace learning.

Career pathways introduce students to what it’s really like to study on a postsecondary campus and safely explore potential jobs under the guidance of caring adults. Many states already have dual enrollment programs that allow high school students to earn college credits that will save them money and shorten their time to a credential, certificate or degree. North Carolina’s Career and College Promise program, highlighted

in the report, offers a good example of a structured dual enrollment system that eliminates unnecessary course taking and leads to postsecondary programs in the state’s high-demand fields.

Structured, progressively intensive work-based learning experiences like job shadowing, paid and unpaid internships, co-ops and the like offer a powerful means of socializing students into the world of work. For students from lowincome families and communities, such experiences may be their only chance

Although 80 percent of students now graduate on time from high school, not enough are graduating with the academic, technical and employability skills they need to earn postsecondary credentials and secure good jobs. to explore careers. Recent Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll results show that the majority of American parents want their children to have career-related experiences like these in school.

Work-based learning is crucial because students gain motivation and hope for the future when they can see what they can become. Young people don’t just need the motivation to attend college, but also an end goal — a career goal — to sustain them in their studies. Business thus has a major role to play in helping students form goals and plans for the future. As “Credentials for All” describes, states need to explore ways to incentivize and protect the employers who offer work-based learning to high school and postsecondary students. We already incentivize businesses to locate in our states, but we must also encourage them to help develop a prepared workforce. Tax credits are just one form of incentive that states can consider. States also need to allow districts and schools to adopt flexible schedules that permit students to engage in work-based learning.

Engage students in career advisement and exploration.

Strong career guidance systems

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show students the many routes to further education and fulfilling careers.

Commission members believe that middle schools and high schools must create challenging pathways that prepare students for a full range of postsecondary options — not just four-year institutions, but also community and technical colleges, technology centers, and work-based learnand-earn programs. Credentials for All shows states how to create curriculumbased teacher advisement systems in which teachers design planned lessons that help students understand their career interests, plan their courses and identify a career focus for their postsecondary studies. In this kind of model, career and college advisement is the shared responsibility of many adults both inside the school and outside the school.

Give high school students a jump on advanced industry and postsecondary credentials.

The bold goals laid out in Credentials for All will require states to blur the lines

between secondary and postsecondary education and the workplace. States must offer career pathways in settings that give students a jump-start on earning an advanced industry or postsecondary credential. Such settings might include career academies located within comprehensive high schools; early advanced credential programs located in shared-time technology centers or full-time technical high schools; early college high schools, in which students can earn a diploma while pursuing a postsecondary certificate, credential or associate degree; and innovative online, blended or competency-based programs.

Offer students clear roadmaps to the credentials and degrees they need to secure good jobs in high-demand career fields.

Career pathways solve the “bridge to nowhere” problem by offering students clear, easy-to-follow roadmaps that lead to advanced industry and postsecondary credentials and degrees

and good jobs in the career fields that matter to the economic future of their states. Achieving this will require states to develop new pathways, adopt nationally recognized pathways or redesign existing pathways to meet postsecondary and industry standards. State career pathway councils that include secondary, postsecondary, workforce development and employer partners can help guide the development of these pathways.

In my second article for SEEN Magazine, “Bridging the Opportunity Gap: Strong Policies and Powerful Practices to Support Career Pathways,” I’ll describe the other actions states can take to support pathways. In the meantime, to learn more about Credentials for All and get involved in SREB’s efforts to extend career pathway learning opportunities to more students, please contact me at gene.bottoms@sreb.org.

James E. “Gene” Bottoms, Ed.D., is Senior Vice President of the Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta,

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STEM

CONNECT STUDENTS TO EMPLOYERS

By Gretchen Koch

Jobs in the field of information technology are readily available.

Indeed, tech is a growth industry in the United States, with employers recently reporting they had more than 850,000 IT job vacancies.

Moreover, IT jobs are accessible — and without the bachelor’s degree many people automatically assume is necessary.

Research backs this claim up. A groundbreaking study from the Harvard Graduate School of Education called Pathways to Prosperity found that many well-paying jobs didn’t require a fouryear degree or even an associate’s degree — and that such degrees weren’t necessarily key to one’s financial and career success.

But students need help from parents and teachers to help them envision themselves in an IT career. The Creating IT Futures Foundation developed a series of short videos to show students what different IT careers are like at www.creatingitfutures.org/ testdrive. The videos demonstrate how a customer service-friendly 88

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attitude, problem-solving skills and an aptitude for continual learning are paramount for an IT career.

But students also need access to develop personal experiences with employers to truly envision their career possibilities.

A number of public high schools throughout the country are modeling new curricula allowing students to graduate with an associate’s degree in addition to a traditional diploma and giving them connections to employers. Creating IT Futures is working closely with one such program in Chicago called the Early College STEM Schools. Students in the five high schools can complete grades nine through 14, earn recognized IT certifications and graduate with practical work experience — positioning them well to pursue upwardly mobile IT careers.

Each school has an employer partner to help students and teachers connect curriculum with real business needs. At full capacity, the Early College STEM Schools could provide local

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and regional employers with several hundred trained and credentialed hires for IT positions each year.

The schools have established three work-based learning outcomes for each student: 1. Connection with a caring adult through a mentorship.

2. Exposure to a range of available IT careers to help inspire them.

3. Substantive work experiences to develop critical skills for school and work and ultimately prepare them for meaningful employment.

In order for high school students to successfully embark upon IT careers after graduation, they need internships to gain the real life work experience employers seek when hiring.

Creating IT Futures recommends that successful internships offer students four Ps: www.seenmagazine.us

For Students, Parents and Educators  Valuable information on the IT industry and certification  Resources including videos, interactive tests, and a career roadmap  Advice and tips on IT careers  Information on the CompTIA Academy Partner Program

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• A project that is valued and challenging, • A place in which to work, • Personnel who care about and supervise the student, and • Payment, preferably money, for the work students do.

Historically, companies have established internships so these four Ps take place at the same time under the same roof; we call this the traditional model. Fortunately, the same tech advances that have offered professionals more flexibility and freedom in working environments now can be extended to interns, too — such that many companies now are thinking beyond the traditional model to create new learning opportunities for students.

For example, in Chicago and New York City, IBM offers internships that follow the shared managed model, wherein part of the internship experience is handled virtually in cooperation with the employer’s remote offices. The interns work in a local IBM office, but in some cases, the IBM manager supervising their projects does so virtually, not on site. The interns work with their managers and specific projects using phone, email and video conferencing. While on-site, they have access to a supervisor who helps them with essential professional and technical skills.

IBM has identified several best practices to making the shared managed internship model work for employers, including: 1. Identify one employee to be responsible for infrastructure

tools an intern needs, such as a desk, an ID badge and a computer.

2. Encourage managers to think about their “wish list” projects early in the year — projects they haven’t necessarily had manpower to complete.

3. Make a supervisor who has worked with students available on-site as a familiar point of contact.

4. Give interns meaningful projects, not just busy work.

5. Have a key executive champion the overall cause of the program. In IBM’s case, it is Ginni Rometty, chairman, president and CEO of IBM. Other schools may look to the consultant model for helping their students to intern at small businesses that often lack the budget, staff or space — in any combination — to host a summer intern. In Chicago, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Foundation is offering students work experience while providing small business owners with IT, web and social media assistance they likely couldn’t support otherwise.

Participating small businesses receive 120 hours of free internship IT support, most of which will take shape as new websites, a social media presence or online marketing — which, in turn, helps the small businesses prosper.

In some cases the interns will work on site at the small business locations. In others they will work out of the foundation’s office.

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Businesses submit detailed work plans in advance, so everyone has a clear understanding of what work is expected.

The students should emerge from the internship having earned much-needed income and having gained much-needed work experience — making it likely for them to secure positions representing the next step up in their careers.

In the partner model, some large corporations can’t supervise an intern on location, but they can coordinate with their local channel partners to offer internships. In these situations, the corporation funds the internship, and the local channel partner provides daily oversight. Some schools are even developing a variation on the partner model wherein the employer can provide three of the four Ps, but not the payment, so the school taps into corporate and government grants to pay the students for their work.

As someone who has spent the last decade in workforce development, I find it truly exciting to see school districts and employers collaborating to create new models of internships that benefit both students and sponsors alike. That kind of innovation is exactly what’s needed to position students for success as they pursue long and satisfactory life-careers.

As executive director of workforce development strategies at the Creating IT Futures Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CompTIA, Gretchen Koch creates workforce programs to help populations under-represented in IT — as well as individuals who have lacked opportunity — prepare for and secure IT careers.

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STEM

Game Development as a Career of Tomorrow

By Roger Christman When one thinks of game development today as a career field, a typical first image is that of someone who will be sitting at a robust machine kicking out the next Halo, FIFA, Angry Birds or any of the thousands of entertainmentoriented games on the market. And, indeed, entertainment-focused gaming is one part of this fast growing career field. There will always be a need for entertainment-based gaming; however, this is only part of the picture. The ever-growing need in our society for enhanced technology has engendered a significant expansion in the gaming industry, which has led to the concept of serious gaming. Ultimately, serious gaming will be a much larger industry than the current $12 billion a year entertainment gaming business. What is serious gaming and how is it a career of the future?

Serious gaming is focused on user/player outcomes. These outcomes often are for new or reinforced learning. The military, airline and medical industries have been using serious gaming for a couple decades now. Soldiers, before they are sent into harm’s way, are exposed to simulated battlefield conditions in training simulators repeatedly. They are being trained in a safe simulated battlefield environment while learning about many of the hazards of war. The clear intention of the military use of serious gaming is to produce outcomes that are very real — to reduce the number of casualties and lessen combat-related wounds, all while increasing mission success. Similarly, airline pilots log hundreds of hours in simulators, and surgeons practice in a computer-based 3D environment before graduating onto pigs and eventually humans. Outcome-based experiential training is very effective. We learn best by doing.

When we learn in a safe environment with minimized consequences, failure is an option.

Often we can learn best by experiencing failure.

Here is a personal example of how gaming provided the necessary expertise to accomplish a goal. My family and I were vacationing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We decided we would rent a boat for a day and cruise along some of the Intercostal waterway. I went to the dock to 92

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pick up the boat with my then 14-year-old son.

The boat rental operator said, “let me take you out for a few minutes to show you the proper directions so you don’t get grounded.” I replied, “Great, that would be helpful.” We went out for few minutes and he showed me the proper channels to take. Then he said, “You take the controls; I want you drive up to that pylon, stop just in front of it and then reverse straight back.”

I was being tested. I had been boating a little with friends over the years, so I was confident I could do what I thought was a simple task. I was wrong.

I tried nine times. Each time I would either under steer or over steer when backing up. The guy said, “Look, I am sorry, but I can’t rent you this boat; you are not going to be able to dock it in a crowded marina.” My son, who was just sitting at the back of the boat watching his Dad fail time after time, spoke up and asked, “Could I try”? The boatman replied, “Yes, it does not matter who is at the wheel as long as they could be safe operating this maneuver.” My son did it on the first try, so of course I said, “That was just luck – do it again.”

He did it five more times, perfectly. I asked, “Son, did you take boating classes at summer camp”?

He replied, “No, this is just like my driving video game and I have played it a hundred times.” Wow, although humbling, it was an extremely powerful realization. My son’s experience playing video games provided him the skills needed to maneuver the boat successfully in a real would environment with strong currents and brisk wind complicating the task. I was convinced of the power of gaming.

Serious gaming will take on an increasingly significant role in our society. With the integration of dramatic advances in technologies such as virtual reality, robotics and artificial intelligence, the power of this vast tool of serious gaming will dramatically enhance learning outcomes.

The non-linear storytelling aspect of gaming, along with decision science, cause and effect modules, and safe consequences, will make simulated learning a more real and a more necessary part of human development and training. We will need thousands if not tens of thousands of recruits to fulfill the staffing needs

of private and governmental organizations increasingly reliant on serious gaming.

Imagine the possibilities. Some are already here. Fortune 500 companies like IBM, Ford Motor Co. and General Electric are investing billions of dollars in serious games development. IBM has created virtual worlds for clients to learn of the implications, consequences, and benefits of decisions well before physical implementation. One example of IBM’s serious gaming technology is used in municipal infrastructure planning. Roadways, water treatment facilities or city parks are being analyzed, redesigned and evaluated by city planners and engineers using serious gaming, saving considerable time and money.

We are in the infancy of leveraging gaming to help transition us into a safer, more productive, effective and efficient future.

Here at William Peace University, our stated mission is to prepare our students for careers of tomorrow. The Simulation and Game Design major fits our mission perfectly.

In this increasingly technology-based world, we are providing our students with the

foundation and experiences required and preparing them for the rapidly expanding role of serious gaming. This semester, for example, we partnered with Duke University’s Medical School where students worked alongside a team with medical education specialists, doctors and actors to create a simulation of patients displaying early signs of a stroke using our Motion Capture System. The purpose of this teaching module is for doctors and nurses to be able to diagnose more quickly and effectively the early signs of a patient having stroke symptoms.

When I use the term serious gaming, this is a great example of what I mean. Strokes are the number five cause of death and the leading cause of serious disabilities of

Americans. This “game” will help produce outcomes that literally save lives.

We will need career professionals that have the tools and experience to maximize the power of serious gaming. The serious gaming industry will need a talented workforce who has the skills and knowledge in design, programming, game theory and management. They must value collaboration, have critical thinking capabilities and be rooted in the Liberal Arts. The productive employee of the future will be one who can adapt to whatever is coming at him or her. It is a good thing that so many of our students are being prepared by playing and learning from video games.

Hopefully some will pursue gaming as a career — our society needs them.

Roger W. Christman is the Founding Chair of the Simulation and Game Design Program at William Peace University. His area of interest is the convergence of New Media and Instructional Technology. For more information, please visit http://www. peace.edu/academics/fields-of-study/majors

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STEM

VISUALIZE SUCCESS IN EARTH SCIENCE WEEK 2015

By Geoff Camphire

“Seeing is believing” as the saying goes.

But maybe more importantly, seeing is often understanding. In addition to using words and numbers, science teachers often find it useful to communicate ideas and information to students with visual presentations.

Visualizations — graphic representations of data — provide a powerful means of illuminating the interactions of Earth systems.

That’s why Earth Science Week 2015 will focus on the theme of “Visualizing Earth Systems.”

During the 18th annual Earth Science Week — Oct. 11-17, 2015 — millions of people in all 50 states and around the globe will learn about the many ways scientists monitor and represent information about Earth systems including land, water, air and living things.

Through this theme, you and your students can explore what it means to see our planet through eyes informed by the geosciences.

Earth scientists are finding innovative ways to not only examine natural phenomena, but also present that information to professional, educational and other audiences. In addition to tools such as telescopes and microscopes, we also can view and map changes in natural systems through new avenues such as computer games, smartphone apps and online videos.

A major addition to this year’s celebration will be the launch of a new “Visualizing Earth Systems” web page, linking educators to visualizations they can use in instruction.

You are invited to submit the URLs for your favorite online geosciences visualizations to info@earthsciweek.org. Look for the debut of the new page on the Earth Science Week website (www.earthsciweek.org) this fall.

In October, science teachers and students across the country and around the world will be viewing and creating visualizations, conducting classroom activities, preparing competition projects, and visiting parks, museums and science centers. Each year, 94

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AGI reaches more than 50 million people through the Earth Science Week campaign promoting better understanding of Earth science and stewardship of the planet.

You’re invited to join the celebration.

Glimpsing Possibilities What does Earth Science Week have to offer you and your students? Visit the program website (www.earthsciweek.org) for ideas, activities and instructional resources.

See the website for webcasts and other offerings. The Big Ideas of Earth Science videos, for example, are brief clips covering nine key concepts of the geosciences. The Earth Science Literacy Initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation, has codified these underlying understandings of Earth science. Online links provide related activities that students can conduct to further explore these ideas.

Students and others also can enter AGI’s Earth Science Week contests. The photography contest, open to all ages, focuses on “Earth Systems Interacting.” Students in kindergarten through grade five may enter the visual arts contest, “Picturing Earth Systems.” In addition, students in grades six through nine can enter the essay contest, which highlights “Earth Science Visualization Today.”

Information on rules and prizes is online.

Find over 70 instructional resources available in Spanish as well as English. Peruse new links for information on geologic mapping. Check out events taking place in your area. Explore a nationwide map and database of geoscience agencies, companies, and other organizations offering Earth science expertise information.

For the classroom, you can search an online collection of more than 120 mapping and other learning activities that support the Next Generation Science Standards.

To find the perfect activity for your lesson,

just click on “Search Classroom Activities.”

Search by grade level and science education standard. Maybe most useful, you also can search among 24 categories of Earth science topics from energy and environment to plate tectonics and weathering.

In addition, this year’s Earth Science Week Toolkit and website provide more than a hundred lessons, materials, and links on Earth science. To receive the Toolkit, including the Earth Science Week poster and dozens of other materials, order online or call 703-379-2480.

Seeing Results During the week, take advantage of opportunities available for anyone connected to teaching and learning about geoscience.

Follow Earth Science Week on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for the program’s monthly e-newsletter to receive updates on free resources and opportunities. Teachers can use the program web site as a gateway to information and resources, such as webcasts, links to nearby partner organizations, citywide celebrations, and special “Focus Days” (see sidebar) during Earth Science Week.

Conduct a hands-on activity with your students. Invite a local geoscientist to your classroom. Sign up for the monthly e-newsletter for information on upcoming opportunities.

Get involved in a “citizen science” project where you help collect data contributing to nationwide or global research. Students can enter one of this year’s contests. Search for events in your area and participate in this year’s celebration. See the “Big Ideas” videos and activities online to build your understanding of the core concepts of geoscience. Have a great Earth Science Week!

Geoff Camphire is Earth Science Week Program Manager at the American Geosciences Institute. For more information, visit www. earthsciweek.org or email info@earthsciweek.org.

FOCUS DAYS

generations. And look for fossil-themed activities and materials in the Earth Science Week 2015 Toolkit.

Take part in activities all week long emphasizing different areas of • Thursday, Oct. 15. The Association for Women Geoscientists and the geosciences on “Focus Days” during the Earth Science Week 2015: other groups urge you to share the excitement of geoscience • Sunday, Oct. 11. EarthCachers take part in geocaching “treasure careers with young women, underrepresented minorities, and hunts” for International EarthCache Day, hosted by the Geological others on Geoscience for Everyone Day. Educators are encouraged, Society of America. EarthCache events are being held around the for example, to invite a female or minority geoscientist to speak in world. Use a GPS, find a location of geoscientific significance, and the classroom. learn about Earth science.

• Friday, Oct. 16. Hosted by a consortium of geoscience organizations, • Monday, Oct. 12. Earth Science Literacy Day focuses on videos Geologic Map Day promotes awareness of the importance of geologic illustrating the field’s “Big Ideas” and related activities. The brief mapping for education, science, business and public policy. A poster video clips bring to life the big ideas of Earth science — the nine featured in this year’s Toolkit, as well as online, provides a geologic core concepts that everyone should know. map, plus step-by-step instructions for a related classroom activity.

• Tuesday, Oct. 13. No Child Left Inside Day invites young people • Saturday, Oct. 17. Program partner Archaeological Institute of to go outdoors, feel the soil under their feet, and learn about Earth America brings Earth Science Week to an eventful climax with science firsthand. A free online guide provides everything you need International Archaeology Day. Whether it is a family-friendly to start planning your own event, including activities designed archaeology fair, a guided tour of an archaeological site, a simulated specifically for elementary, middle, and high school students. dig, or a classroom visit from an archaeologist, this hands-on event •W ednesday, Oct. 14. The National Park Service and AGI are offers the chance to indulge your inner “Indiana Jones.” collaborating to conduct the sixth annual National Fossil For more information on Focus Days, including a wealth of Day. Celebrate the scientific and educational value of fossils, teaching and learning resources, see Earth Science Week online at paleontology and the importance of preserving fossils for future www.earthsciweek.org

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Technology

By Jason K. Feld, Ph.D. The Common Core education movement has been accompanied by a rapid and widespread interest in the use of standards-aligned, research-supported comprehensive assessment systems to help guide local educational decision-making. This interest has created a pressing need for the development and implementation of a new generation of technological tools capable of integrating standardsbased assessment with instructional decision-making. In turn, these tools can provide data required to inform the many types of decisions confronting educators and administrators in today’s schools.

Because different types of decisions require different types of data, a technology-based comprehensive assessment system must be composed of different types of assessments. Each type serves a different central purpose, and each type may require variations in test characteristics and assessment procedures in order to serve its central purpose.

For example, within a comprehensive system, benchmark and formative assessments aligned to district pacing guides and curriculum can inform differentiated instruction on an ongoing basis. Benchmarks can also be designed and analyzed in ways that allow the data to be used both in tracking student progress toward and mastery of standards and in forecasting performance on statewide tests.

• Pre- and post-tests are useful in measuring academic progress and instructional effectiveness over an extended period of time, and can also be used to identify classes and schools that are highly successful as well as those needing assistance.

• Screening instruments are useful in identifying students at risk for learning problems.

• Placement tests inform grade level placements and advanced course placements.

• Computerized adaptive tests provide efficient measures of individual academic proficiency and can help support individualized intervention planning.

• Observational and rating-scale assessments provide authentic measures of competencies in the environment in which those competencies are used while providing immediate feedback to guide instruction.

DATA ESSENTIALS

‘MUST HAVES’ FOR A NEXT GENERATION COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

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Data Essentials of a Comprehensive System •D ata that Addresses District Assessment Needs One essential data characteristic of a comprehensive system is that it helps to ensure that all of the district’s assessment needs are met. This should be accomplished by including the various required types of assessment within one seamless system, rather than in multiple systems housed in separate “silos.” However, there may be some types of assessment results that are imported into the system, such as statewide test results. Although each type of assessment has a unique central purpose, there is a considerable amount of overlap in subordinate purposes that the various types of assessment may serve.

The overlap may lead to increases in assessment efficiency in that a given type of assessment may fulfill more than one assessment need or it may add additional information enhancing the effectiveness of educational decisions.

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• Data that Provides Student Mastery Information in Credible and Actionable Ways A second essential data characteristic of a comprehensive assessment system is that the measurement approach used to document student growth provides actionable information that can be used to guide educational decision making and to credibly track student progress toward mastery of standards. In this regard, implementation of Item Response Theory (IRT) analyses following the administration of districtwide assessments is indispensable. This is because IRT makes it possible to place scores from multiple assessments on a common scale. As a direct benefit, the progression of student scores across assessments over time is a direct measure of growth, thereby making it possible to directly compare results from different assessments. This offers a more complete picture of student growth and achievement than would otherwise be possible with simple raw scores (i.e., percent or number correct). IRT analyses make it possible to forecast students’ likely performance on statewide tests. This ensures

that educators have the data necessary to identify students or groups of students at various risk levels (e.g., low, moderate, high) and to engage in differentiated instruction to increase the students’ likelihood of mastering specific standards and pass the statewide assessment. One of the most important benefits of IRT analyses is that it makes it possible for school districts to continually evaluate the psychometric rigor of assessments and the characteristics of items comprising the assessments — i.e., item parameter estimates including difficulty, guessing and discrimination. Continually refreshing item parameter estimates is essential to ensure that item characteristics are kept current as student populations and instructional content change over time. This refreshing process becomes even more critical when standards change leading to the need to realign current items and develop new ones.

To further understand why IRT is an indispensable part of a comprehensive assessment system, let’s take a look at some hypothetical student scores on a series of district-wide benchmark assessments. If a

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class of students received an average IRT score of 1100 on an initial assessment and an average IRT score of 1150 on a subsequent assessment, the district would know that the students showed significant growth. By contrast, if IRT were not used and the class received an average score of 70 percent correct on the initial assessment and 80 percent correct on the subsequent assessment, no conclusions about growth would be warranted. This is because the difference in scores between the two tests could be attributed to differences in the difficulty of the tests — i.e., the second test could be easier or even harder — or to changes in the achievement of the students, or to both. We just wouldn’t know.

• Data that Facilitates Multiple Forms of Differentiated Instruction A third essential data characteristic of a comprehensive assessment system is its capacity to provide the necessary data and tools for implementing differentiated instruction. Utilization of IRT analyses in addition to traditional raw data measures of student performance makes it possible for educators to engage in three interrelated forms of differentiated instruction. The most basic type using raw data involves assistance to the learner related to the performance of specific tasks, such as responding to a set of test items.

The second type involves interventions provided for students identified as being at varying levels of risk for not meeting standards on a statewide test. This type involves the use of IRT to identify next instructional steps for students at different risk levels. In this regard, IRT provides the capability to estimate the probability that students at a given ability level will be able to respond correctly to items reflecting standards targeted for instruction during a given time period. This information can be used to recommend instructional interventions.

The third type of differentiated instruction involves re-teaching for students displaying different patterns of progress.

For example, students who perform at high levels at the beginning of instruction but make little progress pose a different instructional challenge from those who start out performing poorly, but show significant progress. An example of a report used by school districts and which displays the extent

to which students fail to maintain, sustain, or exceed growth expectations, along with risk levels and categorical growth scores, all of which can be used to implement multiple forms of differentiated instruction is shown here.

• Data that Facilitates Efficiency and Effectiveness throughout System Implementation A fourth essential data characteristic of a comprehensive assessment system is that it increases efficiency and effectiveness economies for a school district. For these to occur, the technology platform used to design, administer, analyze and report assessment results should be common across assessment types. Creating this commonality requires that the technology platform include artificial intelligence routines that guide test construction, review, publication, security, scheduling, administration, scoring, psychometric analyses and reporting.

Efficiency and effectiveness are also created when the technology platform includes system monitoring tools that make it possible to guide system implementation.

These tools should provide data regarding when tests have been constructed, reviewed, revised and delivered. They should generate basic data on test administration such as the number of students scheduled to take a test, the number who have actually done so and when testing has been completed.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Perhaps the most important characteristic of a truly “next generation” comprehensive assessment system is its ability to adapt to continuous change in response to advances in research, technology, public policy and local school district needs. A checklist to keep in mind while searching for a comprehensive assessment system should include: • Technology capable of accommodating multiple forms/ types of change •A bility to accommodate continuously changing standards •C apability to rapidly align items, curriculum, and instructional tools to those standards •D ynamic item banks and instructional

content that expands continuously • Capability to generate innovative item types and innovative approaches to curriculum development and delivery that will be required as the transition to online assessment and instruction accelerates • Capability to incorporate new types of assessments, reports, curriculum, and instructional tools to meet changing needs A comprehensive assessment system should always be and will always be a work in progress. Nothing less will meet the educational challenges faced by educators in today’s rapidly changing world.

Jason Feld received a M.A. in Psychology from New York University and his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the University of Arizona. His research and professional activities in Pre-K and K-12 education, assessment, policy and practice span 30 years. Dr. Feld is a published author in books, scholarly journals, technical reports, and early childhood journals and has served on editorial advisory boards.

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technology

BRIDGING THE

DIGITAL DIVIDE

IN HIGH POVERTY SCHOOLS

By Tiffany Anderson

Resources in high poverty schools are often limited and are a reason why many schools struggle with improving achievement. However, if the current technology available is leveraged properly and fully utilized, expanded resources would become immediately available. The following are ways to impact the achievement gap by closing the technology and opportunity gap.

In addition to strategies, practical examples are listed that have been used in an effort to bridge the digital divide, which can be replicated in any district. Jennings School district is 98 percent minority and serves 100 percent free lunch. Jennings borders Ferguson in St. Louis, Missouri and serves approximately 3,000 students in grades PreK-12.

1. Bridging the Digital Divide Begins with a Strong Vision and Commitment from Leadership In Jennings, as superintendent, I view myself as a teacher and remain committed to increasing resources for teachers and students. The commitment requires less central office staff in exchange for increased classroom resources. It requires serving in multiple roles while a superintendent, which includes serving as the district curriculum coordinator, public relations facilitator, acting as a (PAT) parents as teacher educator, a crossing guard and at times a supporting classroom teacher, just to name a few of the roles. The commitment from all levels of leadership is that resources will not be a reason for lack of achievement. In 2015, 100

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under the White House’s Future Ready initiative, I signed the Future Ready Pledge to bridge the digital divide. As part of signing the pledge, a team from our district attended the Future Ready Summit and we were struck at the lack of diversity and representation of high poverty rural or urban schools at the Summit, which was being held in a diverse city serving many underrepresented groups. The commitment to improve services to the under served community begins with the commitment to ensuring students are Future Ready and being willing to creatively use resources to make that happen.

2. Maximizing Use of Free Technology Resources While a superintendent many years ago in Montgomery County in Virginia, we launched online learning systems using Moodle to allow students to use curriculum materials online. Now in 2015, we have Google classrooms, the expanded use of the Internet, Skype, and books online. There are multiple learning management systems that will allow schools to place the curriculum online and to enable schools to share information. In Jennings, using technology through Google has been instrumental as a simple, free, practical strategy, since I coordinate curriculum and monitor pacing across the district. As teachers create lessons, they save lessons on a Google drive and share it with staff across the district, enabling vertical and horizontal planning to immediately occur across the district.

This also allows us to save lessons for an entire year online and as I visit classrooms, I am able to monitor and observe lessons.

When new teachers begin, through Google classroom, they have the ability to review lesson plans for the year before they ever begin in the classroom. It is a powerful tool that helps teachers better prepare for their first day, it allows teachers to share lessons across the district and it enables school leaders to monitor lesson planning and instruction as they observe in classrooms.

3. Increasing Access and Exposure to Students High poverty students often begin school behind academically with limited exposure compared to other students who are not in poverty. As a result of exposure and access, often the average high poverty student may start school with a limited vocabulary and with less academic knowledge in various content areas. High poverty students often are asked to make a high jump without the same running start of students who are not in high poverty homes. The bridge that can serve as a greater equalizer is technology. In under performing high poverty schools, the use of technology is limited and in some cases non-existent. In a standards based setting, there are many resources that should be used to master standards. Most textual materials, novels and even math activities and quizzes are online and can be accessed for limited cost and many can be accessed for free. Kahn Academy (KG) is one example of a free resource we have used for many

years that provides entire lessons from an online teacher. It provides quizzes and can easily be integrated in any classroom. Most publishers have free textual materials online that can be purchased for the district. Often when asked, those resources accompany the textbook when it’s purchased and as a result, most schools could use digital devices at schools and allow students to take books home when they don’t have home online access or they can use a combination of both.

As an example of what this looks like across the district: Recently, a KG, first grade and second grade teacher paired up after the kindergarten teacher completed a science unit that culminated in hatching chicks in an incubator. Using Google classroom, kindergarten teacher Mrs. Michaelson videotaped her own introductory message regarding a mystery scavenger hunt activity involving the science topics they covered recently. Kindergarten students watched videos, followed clues, read and wrote about their findings in an effort to solve a mystery of a missing object in their classroom. Ultimately, administrators and other teachers across the school and district became involved in the mystery hunt through Google classroom by giving clues and writing to students.

In a first grade room in a school with 100 percent free lunch, a first grade teacher, Mrs. Olson, required students to take tablets on an art field trip to video experiences, which they later wrote about and created video presentations to demonstrate what they have learned. Performance based learning is truly coming to life in her classroom and it is allowing students to express themselves in ways they would not normally. Imagine the possibilities in middle school and in high school.

In a middle school classroom, a teacher, Mrs. Foster uses Chrome Books daily and students write stories, submit them through a shared Google drive allowing the teacher to give immediate feedback on their writing assignments. Students converse through the drive about academic assignments immediately and the classroom has moved to a paperless environment with expedited feedback. Student engagement and the

quality of work is incredibly high. Imagine the possibilities.

In a high school classroom, science teacher Remy Bryant teaches biomedical science using the Project Lead the Way learning management system allowing students to use the most updated resources and research on scientific topics they are learning.

In all schools across the district, teachers use a data dashboard system to input assessments, which are automatically graded when they are scanned and uploaded and it allows for immediate reflection and review of standards mastered based on assessments.

The immediate information allows teachers to begin re-teaching immediately.

The examples provided are just a few possibilities of how technology can be integrated despite resources available when there is a commitment to improve and use technology to increase exposure, access and opportunities. Increasing access and opportunities by providing students with

the greatest amount of exposure is essential in the effort to close the digital gap and ultimately improve achievement in high poverty settings. Closing the digital divide begins with leadership that sets a vision and commits to ensuring classrooms have what’s needed to make the vision become a reality.

Once resources are provided, accountability measures must be implemented to ensure the resources provided are properly used in meaningful ways.

Technology has become another way to improve the quality of education for all children. While districts may face the challenge of connectivity in homes, which the Jennings School District also faces, all districts serving underserved communities can bridge the digital divide in classrooms at school. This ultimately creates a bridge between students in wealth and in high poverty schools.

Tiffany Anderson, Ed.D. is the Superintendent in Jennings, Missouri.

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Fall 2015

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technology

RETHINKING THE

ENTERPRISE LEARNING

ECOSYSTEM

By Joel Hames I love working with educators. There’s beauty in the work of those who dedicate their lives to helping students succeed. In my travels and interviews, I’ve seen educators grapple with challenges at the intersection of learning and technology. They seek out opportunities to enhance the efficacy and honor the interconnections between all of the systems they implement. Ultimately, through their work, schools are realizing the vision of supporting educational excellence of all students.

This great work guides us to several best practices that accelerate quality education.

Asking Why as a Deliberate Exercise In his 2009 presentation titled “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” Simon Sinek emphasizes that great leadership and change start with the question “why.”

He highlights the Golden Circle, which is the “naturally occurring pattern, grounded in the biology of human decision making, which explains why we are inspired by some people, leaders, messages, and organizations over others.”

In making decisions about our learning environments, let’s start by asking “why.” Let’s be intentional about that, with the expectation of a real, actionable answer. With this mindset, the reason for implementing an online assessment system transitions from “let’s make classwork easier to submit online” to “we believe that interactive, anytime learning drives student engagement and success.” When we communicate the latter philosophy to staff, we gain alignment in purpose and deep understanding of change.

If we define our work by “why,” the decisions we make and the systems we implement will have a clear connection to our purpose and vision. From that starting point, we can then dive into the “how” and “what” of the Golden Circle. Starting with “why” gives us a rallying point for change and improvement.

Define the Enterprise Learning Ecosystem in Its Totality All too often today, our vision of supporting educational excellence in our students is not part of the conversation when we talk about business and technology systems. We draw an artificial line between systems 102

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and processes that support student learning and those that support the operational and business side of our institutions. This divide is engrained in the organizational chart, policies, and culture of many districts.

The enterprise learning ecosystem is the totality of systems that encourage diversity of teaching strategies, training, and professional development; enable multiple opportunities for learning; put the student in control; optimize peer learning; and focus on feedback. The modern learning ecosystem extends in four directions: • Reform. Provides meaningful data that drives systematic improvements.

• Administration. Helps manage the flow of information between systems and users.

• Accountability. Aids in meeting regulatory, audit, local, and public accountability needs.

• Action. Supports high-quality classroom interactions that drive student success.

No matter how disconnected a system may seem to be, enabling effective practice and fostering greatness among students is accomplished by all components of the ecosystem. If we are going to focus on the “why” of our institutions, then what better way to frame the technology we implement than to do it in terms of the learning impact on students?

Drive Conversations about Technology around User Stories In product management, we use a tool called “user stories” to drive our development. User stories shift the focus from “what” back to the end user. No matter what we do, we focus first on the value to the user. It’s a subtle shift, but one that aligns everyone involved in improving a product based on the benefits to the single most important person.

Ultimately, user stories drive conversations that uncover the true purpose of what we intend to do. Even in a system designed to order custodial supplies, we can find the benefit to the student and their learning and apply that benefit to search for the kind of efficiency and effectiveness we intend.

Break Down Barriers between District Organizations Technology innovators break down barriers between district teams.

They don’t let their district leaders work in isolation. This isn’t necessarily about throwing a bunch of new people, untrained, into a room with teachers to debate philosophical issues surrounding classroom instruction. Instead, it’s about breaking down the barriers that exist between departments and leaders.

If you are a chief technology officer or information technology director, don’t accept that your job is just technical or be passive about your involvement in the business of the district. Business here, of course, means teaching students. Don’t let your work be defined solely by technology plans and committees and networks and data systems. Do more with others on your leadership team. Sit in the room with people who are struggling to adopt new curriculum and figure out what that means to the enterprise learning ecosystem.

Modernize the Evaluations of Systems Finally, we need to modernize the evaluations of our systems.

Think about the criteria we have traditionally used to evaluate what we put in our schools: cost, functionality, and company factors, like longevity and references. All good data points, to be sure. And I don’t think that anyone would argue that system functionality is anything other than critical. But I’d like to suggest we insert one other vital criterion: instructional impact. Let’s start asking, before anything else, what impact a system has shown on student achievement.

Given what we now know, can’t we see how a transportation system, a learning management system, and a finance and human resource system connect through to the classroom? If those lines are clear, then we should be asking these questions up front, before we ever sign on the dotted line.

How do you assess impact, especially in systems that are several steps removed from the classroom? We must have something

measurable, something quantitative.

Here are some potential examples: • Does the application provide data that can contribute to systemwide decision making?

• What is the impact to students if the system malfunctions?

• What evidence can the company provide about the impact of its software on students?

• Is it highly interoperable, enabling other instructional systems to perform better?

• Can you reword the value of the ecosystem in a student-centric language?

The choices you make impact your students. So what do we do with this knowledge? We start with our vision and purpose, with buy-in that the “why” is clear and important. We acknowledge that business systems are also instructional systems and that our entire enterprise learning ecosystem is one large instructional platform that impacts our students on a daily basis. We break down barriers between leaders and eliminate isolation so that decisions are made in the full light of day. And we tell user stories that focus everyone’s attention on the values that matter to us in our schools.

When we do all these things, we transform our schools. We also rethink our approach to a multi-billion dollar educational technology industry. You all know how to make a difference, so use that knowledge to force us, as software and system providers, to do better. We’ll rise to the challenge and that will create the kind of educational system that I want my own children to experience.

Joel Hames is vice president of product at SunGard K-12 Education and a member of the company’s Leadership Team. With almost 17 years of experience managing enterprise systems as an information and instructional technology leader at various school districts, Hames brings a wealth of experience and deep understanding to his role.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in educational psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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security

Over the past decade, as the severity and frequency of violent events on school campuses have increased, school administrators have sought to harden school campuses and better train school personnel. Pressured by public outcry and facing potentially large financial settlements, government officials and scholars have seized upon the importance of effective planning when confronting all hazards on school campuses. It is no longer practical to do nothing and not doing enough will endanger the lives of students. Thus, what is required is the implementation of the best security practices and strategies designed to create safe learning environments.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF

SITUATION AWARENESS

IN K-12 EMERGENCY

OPERATIONS PLANNING.

By Michael A. Yorio and Frank Trapp

Importance of Emergency Operations Planning In 2013, the federal government released a set of guidelines for developing “High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans” for K-12 Schools, Institutions of Higher Education, and Houses of Worship. These guides are a collaborative effort of the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Using the key concepts elaborated in the guide for K-12 schools, administrators are directed to develop a high-quality, all hazards, emergency operations plans (EOP) that include annexes for unique threats confronting a school campus. The key to a successful plan, and most importantly the mitigation of these threats, are the following components.

• Engaged Leadership: Superintendents, school board members and principles must recognize the importance of emergency planning and support the effort.

• Collaborative Effort: The drafting of a plan must involve a “core planning team” of both internal stakeholders and external stakeholders.

• Effective Allocation of Resources: A school district must commit the resources necessary to develop and exercise a high-quality EOP. • Consider All Hazards/Threats: A highquality EOP must assess and prioritize all threats facing a school district and school campuses.

• Determine a Course of Action: The EOP must include specific annexes that clearly and concisely spell out actions taken when confronting a hazard or threat.

• Establish a Threat Assessment Team: Both at the district level and campus level, it is essential a comprehensive team of staff be tasked with evaluating a potentially violent individual or situation with the goal of intervention and mitigation before an event becomes violent.

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Situational and Observational Awareness The best defensive is always a proactive offensive designed to identify and mitigate a threat before it becomes a reality.

One key aspect of emergency planning today is the adoption of a situational awareness (SA) mindset that will enable administrators, staff and teachers to alert the school administration of a potentially violent situation such as the possible active shooter event. What is situational awareness and how does it enable schools to create safer learning environments?

In the National Response Framework, the Department of Homeland Security defines situational awareness as “the ability to identify, process, and comprehend the critical information about an incident, knowing what is going on around you, which requires continuous monitoring of relevant sources of information regarding an actual incident and developing hazards.”

The key is to establish a process by which critical information from relevant sources can be relayed to the threat assessment team or appropriate school administrator.

At the campus level, situation awareness exists on three levels: the SA State, SA Systems, and SA. Processes.

• Th e SA State operates at the individual level and refers to the actual awareness of a situation.

• Th e SA System operates at the administrator level and refers to the distribution and sharing of information between teachers and administrators.

• Th e SA Processes operates at the campus level and refers to actions taken to mitigate a potential threat prior to it becoming a reality.

It is imperative that teachers learn to understand indicators of a potential violent individual or situation. It is also imperative that a school has a system to share and distribute this information with appropriate administrators. And finally, it is imperative that a process be in place to act upon this information in a manner that brings about the mitigation of a threat or hazard. The key to ensuring situational awareness becomes a practice rather than an SouthEast Education Network

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art and can be applied to a school’s overall safety initiative to ensure teachers and staff obtain an appropriate knowledge base and thus advanced training is essential.

Advanced Training Professional educators practice observational awareness each day when it comes to assessing student behavior and performance. For a teacher, this observational awareness is second nature.

The key to ensure not only academic success but also to ensure a safe learning environment is an awareness of situations and thus, educators are predisposed to use these observational skills to develop a situational awareness mindset and enable teachers and staff to identify a potentially violent individual. The key, however, to developing situational awareness beyond the classroom is advanced interactive training by security experts.

This training is not only essential for teachers and coaches, because they are in optimal positions to recognize changes

in baseline behavior, but should include bus drivers, custodians, and other staff members because they see and hear things outside the classroom that can be more telling about a potential threat. Identifying and reporting suspicious packages, a concerning behavior, threatening remarks and other violence indicators can enable a threat assessment teams to mitigate and thus prevent a violent act from coming to fruition. But training and empowering educators and staff to apply these critical life skills can only achieve this higher level of awareness.

Individuals must learn to be comfortable reporting observations and incidents to their immediate supervisors or the school’s designated threat assessment team without hesitation or fear that they might be viewed as a pest or nuisance. Thus, advanced training is essential if school administrators are to set a positive tone and embrace the collaboration strength of situational awareness.

Today, school administrators, educators

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Creating a safer environment begins by securing the perimeter.

and staff daily face multiple security challenges that did not exist in the past.

Gone are the days when a one hour lecture by local police or requiring employees to watch a 45 minute video are sufficient training on a school’s security needs. Safety initiatives and foundations now must be based on the security industry’s current best practices. It is essential that emergency operations plans and situational awareness doctrine be shared through advanced interactive training. This new paradigm provides a better means to mitigate potentially violent acts — including active shooter events. While no level of training will guarantee a zero chance of an incident, it is clear that zero or inadequate training will leave schools unprepared and place our children at a high risk. Candidly, this is a risk that no responsible adult should take lightly or accept.

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security. Key management and educational administrators need to assume leadership roles and mandate to all staff that this is a priority, and that sufficient time and resources should be appropriately allocated. Only with consistent and active participation will this initiative be successful.

Emergency planning and preparedness is an ongoing initiative that needs to involve your entire staff and be pushed from the highest levels. With lives on the line, this subject cannot be ignored in today’s uncertain world. Everyone clearly desires to be prepared and ready for a wide range of events that could impact operations, but what does that really mean and how do we actually get there?

THE ROADMAP TO EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

By Peter Hodes In today’s unpredictable environment, emergency planning has become a critical element for executive management. Within the education sector, these responsibilities fall on principals and presidents, chancellors and CFOs, administrators and educators. Everyone has a role in preparedness, response and the long-term recovery.

Disasters, emergencies and disruptions will continue to occur and the necessities for emergency preparedness are even more critical 108

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now than ever before. When confronted with a crisis, having an emergency plan in place will ensure that management and educational administrators are trained to handle the situation and can make the necessary decisions for the safety of students, faculty and staff.

For an organization to prepare itself for natural, man-made, biological and technological hazards, executive leadership must be actively engaged. This process has to start at the top with a “cultural” shift that recognizes the importance of preparedness and promotes the initiative for safety and

1. Understanding Emergency Planning Emergency preparedness is a very fragmented and somewhat confusing field.

It involves every aspect of your business and deals with an infinite combination of risks and considerations. However at its heart, it is very simple. Build a team. Talk and think about your capabilities and weaknesses. Train and exercise to get better!

Planning and training are the keys to success. Every organization addresses planning differently and there are many important aspects that need to be considered.

Understanding these elements and how they work together is the first step to better preparing your organization. The following are just a few of the detailed plans that are promoted and required by government and private sector entities across the country.

• Emergency Operations Planning (EOP): Framework and actions for the immediate response during the event.

This includes evacuations, lock-downs, and shelter-in-place and other procedures for life safety.

• Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP): Internal recovery strategies for the continuation of services and critical functions during and after the event.

This is also called Business Continuity Planning (BCP).

• Security Planning: Protocols and resources for protecting lives and assets. see ROADMAP page 110

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Roadmap continued from page 108

• Disaster Recovery Planning (DR): Protection measures for information technology systems and infrastructure.

It is easy to become confused, but remember these are all aspects of one overarching program — YOUR emergency preparedness program!

Stay focused on the basics, get started and just keep moving forward.

2. Executive Leadership and Support When bad things happen, management will be required to make numerous, tough decisions on the spot without a lot of good information.

Therefore executive management must be actively involved in the dayto-day activities for emergency planning. This is not something that can be pushed to a subordinate because at “game time” the subordinate will NOT be the one making decisions and in the public’s eye.

In the education sector, teachers and staff are swamped and additional resources are lacking. Only with proactive, aggressive action from top management will your emergency preparedness program be initiated and sustained.

Start today with this checklist: 1. Recognize that this is YOUR plan. Take ownership of it and

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embrace it as your armor and shield.

2. Make preparedness a priority. Talk about emergency planning with your staff as a regular subject in your day-to-day conversations.

3. Write a letter of executive support for planning and distribute to your staff to physically show your interest in this subject.

4. Allocate sufficient resources — staff, time and money — to get this project started. This is a marathon and not a sprint so you only need a little at a time.

5 Build your team. Engage your staff and work with them to understand their objectives and responsibilities.

3. Building Your Team You have to be involved, but you don’t have to do everything yourself.

In fact, you CAN’T do everything by yourself. Your team will start with a small core of dedicated individuals and over time should grow to include all your teachers, staff, students, parents and community first responders.

Everyone needs to understand their roles and responsibilities, so training and exercising are critical to better preparedness. Within your organization there are a number of key individuals that have to be involved in this effort.

• Security: For schools and campuses, security and student safety is the obvious #1 priority. Therefore School Resource Officers (SRO), security staff and local law enforcement must be on the core team from the beginning.

• Facilities Management: Staff responsible for your buildings and physical assets is critical to the success of any response.

• Information Technology: In today’s world an IT issue is an emergency! IT staff must be involved to protect your IT assets and to provide support for response and the subsequent recovery period.

• Human Resources and Administration: All emergencies will involve your staff. A wide range of HR issues will come up during emergency planning so this is a key team member.

• Finance: Emergencies cost money! There will be issues with short-term emergency purchases and also with the long-term recovery process.

Building a “’Culture of Preparedness” Twenty years ago, only the military and local first responders ever thought about emergency preparedness. Today, this is a major topic for all sectors of our world economy including education, healthcare, finance and information technology. K-12 schools and higher education institutions are increasingly becoming aware of their responsibilities to protect students and to prepare for a wide range of events.

With this awareness comes the requirement for action. Executive management must initiate this action. Principals, superintendents, college presidents, chancellors, and administrators, along with others in responsible positions establish the “culture” within the organization. So within YOUR organization, start the process of building a “culture of preparedness” today.

Peter Hodes is the CEO of BOLDplanning Inc., a Nashville, Tennessee based company. BOLDplanning provides a range of emergency and continuity planning services nationally to over 7,000 government, education and healthcare organization.

Security

UNDERSTANDING CYBERBULLYING THROUGH IMMERSION:

EDUCATE, EMPOWER, ENGAGE

By Sgt. Thomas Rich Today’s technology has taken on a life of its own. Words such as “tweet,” “hashtag,” “snap” and “follow” have become integrated into our daily vocabulary. Every day there seems to be a new social media platform that kids are using, whether it’s Twitter, Snapchat, Yik Yak or Facebook. It’s as though our students speak another language and exist in an entirely different world outside of their homes and our classrooms, and frankly, it’s hard to keep up with it all. This murky water inhibits many adults from entering into a sensitive conversation about online harassment for fear of overstepping or simply being confused about why a “subtweet” might make a student cry. (Subtweet is a post that refers to a user without directly mentioning them, typically used to mock.)

So how do we help the kid in crisis? We teach them simple steps to block predators, both known and unknown and we arm administrators with digital knowledge. To help mitigate the risks the online world can pose to our students, the best thing we can do is to provide them with valuable resources and create “teachable moments” to help them to identify and avoid the pitfalls of the digital age.

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks As schools go 1-to-1 and classrooms leave behind paper syllabi for school websites and email, the connected teacher and classroom is emerging. There are even hashtags (#) that help cultivate forums for this growing community (see: #CPchat – connected principal chat or #edtechchat – educational technology chat).

I’m not suggesting that you fill your “friend list” with students, but I am asking you to do your research. Not sure what an app is but it’s causing havoc in your school? Download it!

Scroll through the app to see what it’s actually all about. It’s free and after a few clicks you’ll understand what you are looking at, or even better, ask a helpful student to walk you through the apps themselves. Sure, it might cost

you a few wrong clicks, but now you are armed with a new understanding of your students’ online playground so you can better moderate crisis situations when these sources are cited.

(And, hey, you can delete the apps after you’ve had enough teen chatter and Kardashian sisters for one day!) For Super Quick Safety Tips about many of the most popular mobile apps — Instagram, Vine, Twitter, etc. — you can visit: http://stopitcyberbully.com/resources I Know What You Did Last Summer …

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Many adults think social media is child’s play. They are afraid, uninterested, or just plain don’t understand why anyone would want to post 300 “Selfies.” But this growing chasm between adults and young users is hindering our ability to keep our students safe online.

We wouldn’t send a class of sophomores off on a field trip without teacher supervision, so why are we giving students unmonitored, uneducated access to the world-WILD-web?

One of the most important pieces of knowledge

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you can bestow on your students — and faculty — is how to turn off a device’s Geo-tagging to keep predators and bullies at bay.

Never heard of it? That’s OK. Geo-tagging is the process of attaching very specific location information to media. For instance, the exact latitude and longitude of the location of a photo that you took using your phone while at school. In the social media platform Instagram, there is a locations map that will pin each and every photograph to a location on a world map from the exact point that the photo was taken.

So, if you were to post this imaginary photo of yourself in a classroom at your school and then post it to Instagram, I, as a fellow Instagram user, could then click on your Instagram Profile, tap the upside-down “teardrop” icon and pull up a complete map of your photos. Then by continuously tapping on the image of you in the classroom the map would zoom in until I knew the exact location you were standing in, in the exact town, on the exact street, all the way to the exact location of the classroom that your photo was taken in. Now I know where to SouthEast Education Network

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find you and you are completely unaware. This is scary stuff, right?

Now, I will tell you how to turn the map function “OFF” and you can share this process with your students and staff.

Within your Instagram profile click the “teardrop” icon on the top toolbar, this will open on the photomap. At the bottom of the screen tap the icon with nine squares, this option will show all of the images that have been added automatically to the map. Once the images are displayed, tap “Deselect all” and confirm that you’d like to remove the geo-tags (locations) from your map. This will remove all of the location data from the selected photos from your account. Don’t worry; this will remove the location data, not the images. Double check that the changes have been made to confirm the deletion, the photomap should now be clear.

Next, to turn off the location sharing data for all future photos, look for the “Add to Photo Map” option when uploading the next Instagram photo and toggle the option to “OFF.” All future photos will use this option as a default.

Note: If tapping the “teardrop” icon does not

work then the mapping function has already been turned “OFF.” Finally, to ensure all location services are turned “OFF”, leave the Instagram app and go into your phone’s Settings, tap “Privacy,” choose “Location Services,” scroll down until you see “Instagram” and choose the setting “Never” to dis-allow all location access within the app.

While in “Location Services” take a moment to

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see what other applications are using “Location Services,” you might see Facebook, Vine, or Yik Yak too, turn their settings to “Never” and protect you and your students from danger across all social media platforms.

Grab the Tablet by the Horns!

In closing, this internet “stuff” isn’t going away anytime soon, so grab technology by the horns and go for the ride. Be an ambassador among your peers for engaging with children through social media and simultaneously prompt them to put their best foot forward online. Balance the risks of this digital world by cultivating a class of Upstanders, who see something online and say something. Engage your school’s to create online content that gives back to the student body. Challenge leadership groups to reach down to the younger grades and have a positive influence on their everyday lives to encourage them to grow into responsible digital citizens too. Create a school climate and culture that promotes positivity online and be rewarded with social change that you can see in the hallways as well — and then embrace technology so that your school can benefit from the many amazing gifts our digital world bestows on our classrooms and us.

Sgt. Thomas Rich, is an 18-year veteran of the Summit, New Jersey police force and cyber-safety keynote speaker at over 700 events nationally, reaching over 500,000 students.

Rich’s presentations cover cyberbullying and how technology fuels this epidemic. He has also been a featured expert on the subject of online safety and cyberbullying for Good Morning America, The Nancy Grace show and Fox television. More information about Sgt. Rich and STOPit can be found at www.stopitcyberbully.com.

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The STEFFI crosser can be seen through the glare and reflection that the buses windshield burdens. There is no mistake that when the driver displays the ‘STEFFI,’ students will understand what this symbol represents, and will proceed to cross. Always teaching our students to look ‘both ways’ before crossing a roadway. Empower the students to make that final call! The life they save will be their own.

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ADDRESSING YOUTH VIOLENCE FOR SAFER SCHOOLS

By Charles Mendez III The road to resolving conflict peacefully begins with fundamental character development and social emotional competency. Such skills enable and encourage youth to be more present in their lives. Think of it as putting together an intricate jigsaw puzzle. Each skill may be whole on its own, but joined together the pieces form a larger, more cohesive picture. Puzzle pieces by their very nature are meant to be different yet to bond together. In the same way, when we are confident in our own unique qualities, while respecting the unique qualities of others, we come together peacefully. And school can be an essential place of sanctuary where we can nurture such healthy bonding and development. Teachers can be valuable role models to guide youth as they learn to piece together the puzzles that will

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reflect their happiest and healthiest selves.

Character education is the means by which youth learn to know what is right and good, to care about what is right and good, and to do what is right and good. There are several key character traits that can contribute to strong social emotional competency. Cooperation, courage, respect, responsibility, and caring are just a few components that help youth build healthy relationships. Youth who can work together, speak their mind with confidence and respect, and take responsibility for their actions and behaviors are able to gain empathy for others and to more effectively resolve conflicts.

Unfortunately, keeping up with current events often means facing the grim reality of youth violence in our society. The American Psychological Association outlines several motives for youth violence, including expression, manipulation and retaliation to name a few.

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Perhaps most importantly, violence is a learned behavior. Youth exposed to negative role modeling that normalizes violence as a means to resolve conflict are more likely to act on violent impulses if they have not learned constructive means of expression. Youth exposed to the use of violence or aggression to resolve problems in the home or in their communities is more likely to adopt those norms to resolve their own problems. Furthermore, media and news events may perpetuate the normalization of violence as an acceptable means to resolving conflict.

How do we address youth violence and create sanctuary within our schools? Character education and social emotional skill development are natural adjuncts in the establishment of safe and supportive learning environments. Social emotional competencies can be broken down into five core elements: goal setting, decisionmaking, emotion management, effective

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communication and relationship skills. These elements build on and are symbiotic with one another, the many sided pieces of the puzzle, the solid angularity of decisiveness, the soft curve of a healthy friendship.

Think of goal-setting as a corner piece of the puzzle from which other social emotional components expand. Youth who set reachable goals make an investment in their own future, creating a value for themselves. With more at stake they become more discerning about their choices, and in turn it helps them develop a stronger moral compass. When youth have their eyes on their goals, they are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as violence or substance use, which would deter them from their chosen path.

Whether it is their peers or the media, youth are exposed to a number of influences that could potentially sway their decisions.

Learning to make responsible decisions is a key piece of the puzzle. Several techniques can help students in the decision making process.

Stopping to think through the decision at hand is a productive first step. This way, youth can consider all their options before they act. After they have made a decision and acted on it, it is helpful to reflect on the results of the action.

Was the outcome positive? If so, they are one stride closer to their goals. If not, they can think of how they can do better next time.

The next step in piecing together the puzzle is for youth to learn healthy ways to express themselves. Youth who are able to identify and manage their emotions are better equipped to calm themselves down before anger or sadness begins to drive aggressive behavior.

Likewise, these youth are more capable of and more likely to then communicate what they are feeling with peaceful results. They are also more likely to ask for help and to trust adults.

Taking that a step further, youth who are able to identify the emotions of others are better able to prevent conflict by recognizing the circumstances that could result in a violent conflict and manage their own behavior accordingly. This awareness of self and others is a twofold means for youth to practice prosocial bonding and to learn to differentiate between unhealthy and healthy relationship qualities. Learning the difference between aggressive behavior and assertive behavior goes a long way in solidifying positive norms.

If youth are not exposed to healthy role modeling in their homes, they may not know what makes for acceptable behavior. School is a place where they can learn essential social emotional skills, as well as find positive role

models in their teachers and their peers. Teachers can do their part by establishing and modelling positive healthy norms in school. They can begin by maintaining an awareness of their position as a role model and guide. Visual displays that outline steps to setting reachable goals and making responsible decisions can provide steady reminders and guidance as the youth develop their skills. Small group activities that simulate real-life scenarios let youth practice the skills to identify and manage emotions, communicate effectively, and problem solve peacefully so they can ultimately assimilate those skills into their own lives. Such activities promote healthy bonding and socialization they can carry with them while they interact with others outside the classroom environment.

Families and communities are also an integral part of character education and social emotional learning. Extending the learning into the home and the community can provide for the development of positive norms and role modeling, reinforcing the skills youth learn, and family involvement in the learning process solidifies those skills. Youth exposed to consistent positive norms and expectations established in each of these environments are

much more likely to adopt them as their own.

How can we as citizens do our part to model positive norms for our youth? Everything we say and do sets an example for someone else. The simple gesture of picking up an item your fellow shopper accidentally nudged onto the floor and placing it back on the shelf extends a lasting good will. We can choose to not only take responsibility for ourselves but also to extend that responsibility outward in order to help others. When we know what is right and good, care about what is right and good, and do what is right and good, we have empathy for and connect with our neighbors.

We cannot shelter youth from exposure to violent acts. But youth equipped with strong social emotional skills and the ability to navigate relationships in healthy ways are more likely to apply prosocial solutions in the face of potentially violent situations. With all the pieces of the puzzle in place, youth display a beaming treasure of qualities. As we can model for them, so they can continue to model a path to a more peaceful future.

Charles E Mendez, III is the managing director of the C.E. Mendez Foundation. For more information, visit www.mendezfoundation.org.

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special needs

NAVIGATING THE BEHAVIORAL MAZE OF A CHILD WITH ASPERGER’S SYNDROME

By Sylvia R. Smith, Ed.D. It’s no surprise to you that no two students are the same.

As a teacher, you have long recognized that your individual students have different personalities, learning styles and socialization approaches. Sometimes, however, you may encounter a student who has a unique developmental pattern.

This student appears normal but presents distinct challenges.

A student who functions just outside the norm is often difficult to understand and even more difficult to help in a classroom of 25 to 30 students. Despite your classroom management experience, it’s difficult to identify the right approach to help this student succeed. You understand that, before learning can occur, a student must be ready to learn both cognitively and behaviorally. This student may or may not have an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, but you know that some “difference” exists and want to help this child both academically and socially, while also maintaining a smooth and effective classroom environment for all of your students.

Getting to the Heart of the Issue Some kids have behavior issues and a small, but growing, number of cases are the result of Asperger’s Syndrome. Having a student with Asperger’s Syndrome impacts the academic and socialization culture of your classroom. Asperger’s Syndrome is a developmental disorder affecting a child’s ability to successfully socialize and communicate. As a result, for example, Asperger’s students may “blurt out” their thoughts as statements of fact, resulting in an appearance of insensitivity and lack of tact. However, these students may not understand that some thoughts and ideas should be kept to themselves, and not spoken out loud — encouraging these students to whisper, rather than just state their thought loudly is helpful. Other common characteristics are insistence on sameness, repetitiveness, impairment in social interactions and the inability to read nonverbal behavior; limited range of social competence, inattention, emotional vulnerability and academic difficulties.

Dealing with the multiple dimensions of Asperger’s Syndrome is easier said than done. The maze of behaviors both endearing and challenging are constantly in play throughout the school day. Unfortunately, an Asperger’s child’s inability to clearly communicate his feelings can set off a chain of events that leads to a difficult situation, or sadly, a total meltdown. The triggers that set off difficult behaviors can range from minor to major; however, 116

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being proactive and familiar with the characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome can help you take positive steps, not just with this child, but your entire class. As with all techniques in your classroom management toolbox, knowledge and preparation are essential.

As you begin to navigate the inner workings of Asperger’s, consider conducting a quick inventory to provide context for the situation. Ask yourself: • Does your student react too sensitively or tend to overreact to everyday situations?

• Does your student appear to be disrespectful or defiant as a characteristic of their everyday behavior?

• Does your student’s behavior seem extremely repetitive or out of control?

Answering these three basic questions can help you to begin to create a management plan for your student. The level or degree of the child’s behaviors provides you with a framework for deciding targeted support for your student. As with the general population, each student with Asperger’s Syndrome is different. One size does not fit all.

A few fundamentals about students with Asperger’s: • They operate on “Asperger time.” This means, “Twice as much time, half as much done.” Don’t expect your student to complete activities and assignments at the same pace as your other students. Consider creating a visual schedule that includes daily activities to help your student to become more independent.

• Students with Asperger’s Syndrome have difficulty distinguishing between information that is essential and information that is not. To help with this, you can provide graphic organizers and prompt questions for assignments that provide a focused guide.

• Students with Asperger’s Syndrome are often average to above average intelligence; however, they may require targeted teaching strategies. If approached with conventional teaching strategies that do not address their needs, they may appear to some people as being lazy, defiant, or uninterested in learning. Asperger’s students that seem defiant may be acting in this way as a nonverbal request to be seen and heard. This behavior comes from a sense of isolation, disconnection or feeling unheard. Lori Petro, a parent blogger and an adult with Asperger’s Syndrome, suggests that to address a child’s feeling of being unheard, you can build a bridge by using words like these to provide context:

“I never realized how strongly you feel about this…”; “I clearly underestimated your passion…”; “We disagree but I believe that we can come to a place where we can work out our differences…”

Learning Characteristics Familiarity with learning characteristics of students with Asperger’s prepares you for their reactions during classroom activities. People with Asperger’s are not just “being difficult.” They are responding in ways that reflect how they see the world. Such individuals: • Translate communications very literally • Are predisposed to be easily confused by assignments that consist of multiple components • Struggle with auditory commands or information • Tend to be inattentive, have poor organizational skills, are easily distracted in class activities and have trouble working in groups with peers • Have fixations or an extremely narrow focus on a topic or concept • Have difficulty with classroom routine, change or transitions

piece to your classroom dynamics. This child may look and sound the same as all your other children but he will need targeted modifications. Using the “blame, shame, judgment, and guilt” approach does not work with most people, especially a child with Asperger’s Syndrome. Be prepared to deal with difficult situations before they occur. Trying to handle and defuse a difficult situation on the fly rarely works as well.

Learn, plan, and act in a positive way to creatively complete your class puzzle.

Understanding the behavioral maze of Asperger’s Syndrome will help you to skillfully navigate the characteristics and nuances of this developmental disorder.

Armed with this knowledge, you will be better prepared with practical techniques and strategies to effectively help all of your students — not just those with Asperger’s Syndrome — fulfill their full cognitive and behavioral potential.

Sylvia Cadena Smith earned her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, Master of Science in Curriculum and Supervision, and Bachelor of Science in Special Education. Her areas of expertise include reading, instructional design, curriculum development, e-learning, technological integration and assessment and evaluation.

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Defusing a Difficult Situation Understanding the behavioral maze associated with Asperger’s Syndrome is fundamental to teaching the whole child. Before you can teach a child with Asperger’s Syndrome, your student must be ready to learn from a behavioral perspective; i.e., you must be able to not only talk with them, but also interpret their nonverbal behavioral language. A key strategy for supporting an Asperger’s student is to adjust how you are communicating. If an Asperger’s student, for example, hit another child, you will not be effective saying, “Don’t hit other children” or “when you hit, it hurts other children.”

Children with Asperger’s Syndrome rarely indicate verbally that they are under stress and think more literally and visually. They need context and visual cues to receive the message you are trying to deliver. Rather, you might respond by saying, “You were playing nicely with your friend outside. Then, when you hit your friend, it hurt her a lot! She cried, because she didn’t like the way that it felt.

It seems like you are having a hard time right now, but we must play nicely with our friends, just like you were doing at first.” Such very concrete explanations help the child with context for their actions.

To defuse a difficult situation and successfully create a follow-up action process, try using the four elements in the chart below (based on a visual and refection approach) in your discussions your student.

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special needs

COMMON SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

By Steve Gillis I taught Special Ed during the first five years of my teaching career. I taught high functioning developmentally delayed elementary and junior high students (everything from PDDNOS to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to Cerebral Palsy), as well as learning disabled students (dyslexia, severe language learning disability, etc.) I had absolutely no formal training in this area. – I am trained as a secondary school French Immersion teacher. These five years were an eye opener for me. I learned that: • Special’ kids are just like any other student. They just learn differently.

• Assistive technologies that were meant to help the students did not always meet their needs. I found that the most common computer applications – word processing and presentation software – were more useful in helping the students learn. It should be noted that the field of learning disabilities (LD) is a complex one and that there are many approaches to helping LD children.

With that in mind, I want you to understand that the strategies presented in this article are global in nature.

Understanding the LD Student There are three major factors that a teacher 118

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has to take into account when it comes to teaching a LD student. Firstly, understand the disability – what is it and how it manifests itself. The same learning disability may present itself differently in different individuals. Two students who are dyslexic might not have the same learning problems.

There are varying degrees of dyslexia, as there are varying degrees of all types of learning disabilities. Plain and simple, understand the situation before seeking a solution.

Secondly, do your research. Find out what has worked best in previous years for the student. Talk to teachers, parents and most importantly the student. The student is most often the one that understands what works and what doesn’t work for him or her. I have always believed that you can teach anything to anybody as long as you put it in a way that they will understand. LD students are a prime example of that adage. Often times they will have trouble grasping a concept, but if you put it in a way that they can relate to they will excel. Simply put, learning what worked will help you to put things in ways that the student will understand.

Thirdly, understand how the student will achieve the outcomes. This does not mean that you have to water down the outcomes; it simply means that you have to find ways in which the student can achieve the outcomes

based on the learning disabilities. It means that the teacher has to be flexible in his or her approach. Let’s assume that the students have to complete a science project. Little Johnnie has a LD and struggles at putting together a written report, yet can talk your ear off about the subject at hand. Would you be willing to let him present his project orally? Would you be willing to allow him to use technology to record his project and submit it as a MP4 voice recording? The use of technology often helps the student meet the outcomes by leveling the playing field for the student.

Standing Out in the Classroom There is nothing worse than standing out in the classroom. Some kids are cruel and they’ll poke fun at the one that stands out.

Unfortunately, that is what happens when a well-intentioned school staff member provides a student with a learning disability special access to a computer —often a laptop with special software. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when special software is needed. In such a case the teacher has to make every effort to ensure that the child using the computer is not bullied.

However; in the case where special software is not needed and the school provides a computer for the child because he or she is LD, this might defeat the purpose of

helping the child. A prime example of this is the school in which I teach. We have three students that have special access to laptops – no special software is added, yet they refuse to use them because they say that they stick out like sore thumbs in the classroom. The trick to getting them to use their laptop consistently is to show them how the most common software applications, namely word processing and presentation software, can be used to meet their needs so that they don’t stand out in the crowd.

Word Processing One of the most common tools that are found in most word processing packages — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc. — is the spellcheck tool. Some teachers do not allow their students to use spellcheck because they feel that students should know how to spell. That attitude sets the LD student up for failure. Quite frankly, the teacher’s goal should be to set the student up for success, not for failure. Let’s be realistic, in the real world most people use spellcheck whether it is to spellcheck their email, a document or using autocorrect on their smartphones. Rather than disallowing the

use of spellcheck, maybe the teacher should consider teaching the students how to use spellcheck — and grammar check — to understand the spelling and grammar rules.

Simply put, use spellcheck as a tool to teach and reinforce spelling and grammar rules.

An excellent strategy to teach students the use of spellcheck is not to allow the students to correct any spelling or grammatical errors of their first draft.

Once they have completed their rough draft, they are to edit their work with a peer. They are to explain the spelling or grammatical rules of all underlined words to their peer. Using this approach will benefit all students and keep the LD student from standing out in the crowd.

Presentation Software One of the biggest fears of most students is the fear of public speaking. Imagine how scared some LD students are of presenting in front of their peers. Insisting that students must present in front of their classroom is another way of setting up the LD student, and I dare say most students, for failure. I understand the argument that students must learn to present in front

of a group of people, but technology has changed the way in which presentations can be done. I allow all of my students to create PowerPoint presentations that include a voiceover. A voiceover allows the students to record their presentations as often as they want until there are no mistakes in the audio portion of the presentation. What does that mean to the students? Firstly, they don’t get nervous standing in front of their peers. Secondly, they can submit a perfect product. Thirdly, they enjoy presentations much more, because they don’t feel the pressure of a live presentation.

Conclusion We have to meet the needs of a diverse clientele in our classrooms. The challenge is to ensure that students with learning disabilities have the same learning opportunities as the rest of the students in the classroom. Technology levels the playing field. These simple strategies that I have shared with you will help all students to succeed no matter what their abilities.

Steve Gillis is president and chief learning office for Net Learning Solutions Inc.

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Wellness

NUTRITION, FITNESS & THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

By Jennifer Croner, Kim Duhanyan, Silva Orchanian, and Mary Jane Weiss What do families and teachers of children with developmental disabilities think of when people discuss health and wellness?

More often than not, issues of nutrition and fitness top the list. The behavioral resistance to change common in people with disabilities sometimes makes it difficult to limit or alter foods as well as to insert fitness regimes into a daily routine. In this article, we explore the need for intervention in these areas and suggest effective strategies toward improving health status in individuals with developmental disabilities.

Focus on Nutrition A recent review found children with autism are five times more likely to have a feeding problem as compared to typically developing children. These feeding problems may include medical conditions such as: difficulty swallowing, food selectivity, ritualistic eating behaviors and meal-related tantrums or disruptions, among other difficulties.

A common worry among parents of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have food selectivity is that their child is not receiving proper nutrition from their diet. Often, children with disabilities have a narrow range of preferred foods. They also may reject foods of certain textures, colors or other characteristics. Caregivers might be able to address the narrow range issue with some 120

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creativity. For example, it may be helpful to focus on fruits, as they are sweet and still provide many vitamins and nutrients.

Vary the vegetables you offer, and whenever possible, provide an alternative choice.

Another tip is to utilize whole grains whenever possible. For example, replacing your white bread with whole grain bread, using brown rice, and adding other heartier grains will provide more fiber and nutrients.

Offer lean proteins including chicken, turkey, beans, low-fat dairy and tofu. Additionally, try to limit access to saturated or trans fats, salt and sugar. When serving meals or snacks, always provide a drink. Encourage your child to pace during the meal and completely chew or swallow before taking the next bite.

It is often helpful to teach that taking a drink and wiping one’s mouth should follow each bite. This helps to ensure that all food is thoroughly chewed and swallowed and increases the amount of time between bites.

Decreasing Challenging Behaviors During Meals Another common problem that might lead to nutritional deficits is challenging behavior during the meal that can include food refusal and disruptive actions. One way to reduce these challenges is to make the snack or meal fun by using positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior is followed by the addition of a preferred consequence. This can lead to that behavior occurring more often in the future. Providing some of your child’s favorite toys or activities such as watching TV or listening to music

while they are eating might increase the amount of food they consume. While positive reinforcement has often been shown to increase consumption of foods that the child is already eating, it is often important to also increase the variety of foods they are eating.

One way to do this is to provide a preferred food after your child consumes something new or non-preferred. Think of Grandma’s Rule: “Eat your peas, and then you can have ice cream.” We are building on the same principle here. If your child takes a bite of broccoli, he or she then can have a bite of chicken nuggets. Another useful strategy is to start small and slowly increase the amount of food you are offering. At first, only require that your child take one bite of broccoli.

After this is completed successfully, they get an entire chicken nugget. As they continue to eat the broccoli, slowly raise the bar. Now they have to eat two bites of broccoli for the chicken nugget, then three, and so on until they are eating an entire portion of vegetables.

It is often helpful to continually re-present the bite if your child throws the food on the floor or spits it out. This can be achieved by holding the spoon in front of their mouth until they consume it. These various strategies can be used to increase both the amount and variety of foods consumed. At times, food refusal is extreme. It is important to have the support and expertise of professionals who know how to advise you. Be sure to be in close touch with your child’s team about any changes you plan to make, and keep everyone informed of the progress and challenges.

Final Thoughts on Eating Issues Every parent worries at some time about his or her child’s nutritional status. This is much more common and much more intense when a child has a disability. Furthermore, children with disabilities are at higher risk for feeding issues, given their behavioral, motoric and sensory challenges. Creative meal planning can lead to added nutritional content. Developing appropriate pacing of eating can lead to better habits. Using preferred activities during and after the meal might reduce resistance. Using some strategies to slowly build tolerance for new or less preferred foods is also helpful. Caregivers working on feeding need the knowledge and involvement of experts in this area. While it can be a daunting challenge, real changes are possible with the right planning and with the use of effective procedures.

What About Exercise?

The importance of incorporating physical activities on a daily basis into all of our lives is a key piece to promoting overall health and wellness. Inactivity is a widespread issue for all Americans and for children in particular. The rates of overweight and obesity for both adults and children are increasing, and activity levels are low across all ages. For children with disabilities, it is even more problematic. It has been found that more than half of all children with autism spectrum disorders are either overweight or at risk for being overweight. Studies have shown this weight gain most often is due to inadequate levels of physical activity. To compound this, the medications commonly prescribed to those with developmental disabilities can also contribute to weight gain. In addition, careful attention should be given to the excessive use of edible reinforcement for clinical and academic programming, since this can be Bring Health World’s eLearning programs into your Prek-8th grade classroom. For about a another contributing factor to weight gain. dollar a student you can provide a full year of health education resources that are easy to Adhering to a healthy lifestyle is clearly integrate into your classroom, grade level, school or even district wide. essential for individuals with developmental disabilities, but how do we best incorporate it into the day-to-day routine for the We offer eLearning programs Health World individuals we serve? Often, caregivers on the following topics: is a perfect resource share this goal and attempt to increase - Nutrition for PEP Grant Recipients physical activity for the individuals with - Substance Abuse or to add digital autism in their care. Most of the time, - General Health eLearning to your they fail. Individuals with developmental - Human Growth & Development disabilities may resist the exercise routine, school library! may not have stamina to tolerate the - Bullying & Conflict Resolution exercise, and may engage in aberrant - Safety behavior that interferes with the activity.

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lifelong habits that impact overall health and wellness. Shaping procedures are very effective to increase individuals’ duration of participation in those activities that require more effort. For example, clinical experience shows that slowly introducing cardio equipment for one-minute increments and increasing that duration on a measured schedule has been effective.

Another successful method can be having individuals do five sit-ups and five jumping jacks to begin, and increasing the number of repetitions completed.

Utilizing visual schedules and terminal reinforcers allows the individual to have a clear understanding of what they are expected to complete and what they can access upon completion. Many of these strategies are used by typically developing exercisers as well. Many of us need to work slowly to increase our stamina. Who wants to exercise without knowing when it is going to end? This is especially true for learners with developmental disabilities.

Another strategy is to combine the other preferred experiences with the exercise

routine. When introducing exercise, for example, one can pair these routines with access to watching a preferred movie or listening to a preferred musical artist.

Again, most typical learners do not enjoy being on the treadmill with no music or television to entertain them! It is also a good idea to have staff members, family and friends participate in the routine next to the individual. This not only promotes the individual completing the routine with the right form and technique, but also allows them to feel like they do not have to complete the activity alone.

There are other activities that can be incorporated into daily routines that also increase movement and motion. Gardening, for an example, is a great way to get an individual moving, squatting, bending, carrying items and getting some exercise without even knowing it! Other examples might include cleaning the house, taking out the trash, biking to a park, or walking to a store to get needed items. It is helpful to find opportunities for additional exercise that can be embedded into daily routines.

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Individuals with developmental disabilities do not have all of the same opportunities to engage in social and competitive activities with peers within their same age group. However, such opportunities can be contrived. Exercise and sporting events provide these opportunities along with teaching individuals with developmental disabilities so many important and life changing skills that cannot be learned in a structured classroom setting. Recently, a couple of individuals within our agency ran and/or walked two charitable 5k races with their teachers.

Their entire community was present to demonstrate their support, cheer for them and capture action shots as they crossed the finish line. Their peers, other staff members, and their families were extremely proud of their accomplishment. Many people enjoy participating in group-gym or boot camp style classes as an opportunity to have fun with a group of people while still exercising.

Carryover to Other Areas of Life The benefits of exercise and good nutrition carry over into other areas of life as well. It has been noted that people that exercise consistently tend to sleep better.

Exercise also helps students with disabilities exert their physical energy in an adaptive and positive manner. Nutrition influences global health and reduces obesity. Those with healthy, active lifestyles may not get ill as frequently. Exercise raises serotonin levels, increasing overall happiness, enjoyment and social interactions. As previously stated, these healthy and movement-based activities also provide additional opportunities for peer and group interactions, a skill set that we are consistently working to strengthen in individuals with developmental disabilities.

Jennifer Croner, M.S.Ed., is the Research and Training Coordinator for Melmark.

Kim Duhanyan, BCBA, is the Director of Residential Services, Melmark New England.

Silva Orchanian, is the BCBA, Director of School Services, Melmark New England. Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is the Executive Director of Research, Melmark. Melmark is a comprehensive multi-service agency, providing residential, educational and therapeutic services for children and adults with autism, intellectual disabilities, brain injuries and other neurological and genetic diagnoses.

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Wellness

With Michelle Smith

What’s Going On With Youth Sports?

Recent Study Shows Big Drop in ‘Core’ Participants: PE Is the Solution

Michele Smith is an ESPN Softball Analyst and 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic Softball Gold Medalist.

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When it comes to team sports, the U.S. is becoming a nation of spectators and not participants.

Recent statistics released by PHIT America (www.

PHITAmerica.org) and the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (www.SFIA.org) indicate a drastic decline in team sports participation, in the last five years, by children ages six to 17. Combined with recent news that a record 82.7 million Americans are physically inactive, this is a troubling trend which has far-reaching ramifications that is impacting rising spending on national health care, decreased life expectancy, inadequate levels of national defense, and the future of the sports and fitness industry.

Not only do the statistics indicate a drop in overall participation in youth sports, they reveal a decline in the number of “core” participants in 10 major team sports — baseball, basketball, cheerleading, court volleyball, fast-pitch softball, field hockey, ice hockey, outdoor soccer, tackle football, tennis, and track and field. The only youth team sports to show any kind of gains in participation in the last five years at the core level are lacrosse and gymnastics, two sports which have relatively low levels of overall participation.

The bottom line is that the number of children who used to spend lots of time every year being physically active playing sports is dropping. With a growing U.S. population, the participation figures in team sports should be going in the other direction. Instead, the exact opposite is happening.

There are a number of reasons why there are fewer children being active in team sports.

Four of the main reasons for the decline are: 1. The decline and lack of quality physical education in schools 2. A heavy emphasis on “travel” ball at any early age, which means young athletes are too focused on playing just one sport and not multiple activities 3. Youth addiction to using electronic devices and social media, which encourages sedentary behavior 4. “Pay-To-Play” costs for school sports, league

SouthEast Education Network

play, specialty clinics, etc. has made the cost to participate too high for many families “Another overlooked element is the decline of ‘sandlot’ play — in all sports — where children play in the backyard or an open field, pick the teams, establish the rules, and resolve any kind of rules infractions,” says Jim Baugh, Founder, PHIT America.

“Too many youth sports opportunities are driven by parents that are taking these fun, recreational activities too seriously, which detracts from the all-important ‘fun’ factor that is a big part of the recreational sports experience. We have to let kids be kids and have fun!”

“In the sport of youth baseball, ‘travel’ ball has become a big competitor of the local recreational youth baseball and softball league,” says Steven Tellefson, President/CEO of Babe Ruth Baseball and Softball. “The games of baseball and softball have become more expensive and results in a lack of appeal in the form of children and families choosing not to participate. The cost with ‘travel’/elite teams is quite expensive. In rural areas, this has decimated local, affordable community based programs. Better players who can afford it are lost to ‘travel’ teams. The end result is community based programs struggle to get enough participants to have a viable league.”

Another issue that is seriously impacting physical activity patterns in the U.S. is this addiction that people, especially children, have with their cell phones, tablets and computers. As sad as it is, people have difficulty breaking away from these electronic devices.

Posting pictures to Instagram, texting with friends, surfing the web, instant messaging, and responding to email have become priorities over playing basketball in the driveway, kickball in the backyard, and riding bikes with friends around the neighborhood. It’s worth noting that PHIT America is working on an app, to be released later this year, which will allow parents to suspend their child’s access to a cell phone for recreational and social purposes, hopefully sending the message that they need to get outside and be active.

The “Pay to Play” issue has always been a thorn in the side of the sports industry, especially in communities that lack a local tax base, which can provide athletic opportunities for all local student-athletes.

When Pay to Play policies are enforced, it always impacts the children from families that have lower annual incomes, but often the private sector in many communities steps forward with sponsorship assistance to make it less of an issue.

Reactions from leaders within the sports industry about physical inactivity are strong.

“Society is changing and kids have more options, so as an industry, we need to continue to encourage innovation that is focused on the player and improving the player’s performance,” says Michael Schindler, CEO, Baden Sports. “By doing that, we improve the overall experience and increase the enjoyment of participating in youth sports, while also encouraging a lifelong passion for physical fitness.”

“The role and impact that participation in sports and fitness have played in shaping our country and industry is indisputable,”

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says Bob Puccini, President, Mizuno Sports USA, and Chairman, Sports and Fitness Industry Association. “We know that if kids are engaged in physical activity at a young age, they are up to three or four times more likely to be engaged and active as adults. We need P.E. in schools! In addition to the obvious and quantitatively proven benefits from physical health and academic perspectives, it’s the values associated with sports that have also been a major contributor to the character and fabric of our extraordinary American society. The fact that core participation in team sports is declining at such a rate is not only concerning from an industry vitality perspective, but most profoundly, it rings a major alarm related to what “substitute(s)” are increasingly shaping our character as a nation, going forward.”

“Team sports participation declines in recent years are troubling,” says Chris Considine, President, Considine Management Advisors, and a former President of Wilson Sporting Goods.

“While there is not one answer to this

challenge, as an industry, we must create and support programs that promote sports participation and physical activity.”

The general public can play a role in this process of reversing the Inactivity Pandemic by contacting their local member of Congress and advocating for key pro-activity U.S. legislation in Congress — the PEP Program and the PHIT Act. PEP supports P.E. in schools and the PHIT Act will help reduce the cost to be active for families and individuals.

Recent research indicates that while sports fandom and viewership levels have never been stronger, sports participation rates have declined. As a nation, we need to get back to the basics of physical activity and that starts with P.E. in our schools — every day for each student, from kindergarten through 12th grade. Some school districts agree with that mindset and are making changes to make P.E. a priority.

P.E. was the foundation for my success in life. Let’s give all American children that same foundational experience. They deserve it!

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S CAROLINA Educational Travel

THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF WINSTON-SALEM

Who knew children could learn so much through play? At the Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem (CMWS), located in the Piedmont Triad, we see children learning every day while they watch scarves zip through the Amazing Airways exhibit, cooperate and collaborate on fortresses in Built It!, or take part in a story time or special program. CMWS is designed to enhance the educational power of play with age appropriate, open-ended experiences.

The Children’s Museum opened its doors in November 2004 and was a gift to the community from the Junior League of Winston-Salem to celebrate its 75th anniversary. In November 2014, CMWS celebrated its 10th birthday and a decade of play. The museum focuses on children from birth through age 10 and their caregivers using literature, storytelling, and arts as its platforms. Our member families and visitors have stories to abound regarding their visits to CMWS. One of our members said, “My children are really using the exhibits as a background for their imaginative play,” a sentiment which gets at the heart of the Children’s Museum experience. Children are able to challenge themselves physically and experience positive risk every day as they climb the museum’s Beanstalk from the first to second floor or weave their way through Kaleidoscape, a hand crocheted play structure created by Japanese textile artist, Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam. Kaledioscape is MacAdam’s first permanent installation in North America. www.seenmagazine.us

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Just like adults, children need an opportunity to practice their market place skills and social negotiation. At CMWS, kids go “behind the scenes” in the Food Lion grocery store exhibit and become a cashier, bakery or deli employee, or customer. Kids in the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Factory work together with other visitors to “make doughnuts,” a logical step-by-step process. While exhibits at the museum can provide a backdrop and stepping off point for imaginative play, children make each visit their own while imagining and creating their very own dialogue for their own stories and memories.

As we struggle with how to increase literacy rates among our children, experiences reading with your child in the Amazing Library and pointing out the letters in the Animal Alphabet instill early building blocks of literacy. A mother of one of our frequent visitors said, “When we moved back to the United States, the museum’s library was her favorite place to practice her language skills.”

Using imaginations, creativity and role playing in the Enchanted Forest as you recreate your version of the Three Little Bears or give your own puppet show to an audience bring stories

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to life.

Last year, Peppercorn Theatre became a part of the Children’s Museum of WinstonSalem, allowing both organizations to expand performance theatre options to include a full summer season and community shows during the year while also expanding field trip opportunities to include live performance and additional educational programming offerings on the floor each day. While making memories

at the Children’s Museum, you can rest assured knowing you have offered a fun space with growth and learning as well.

For more information about the Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem, programs, summer camps, field trips, group visits, homeschool options, and more, visit www.childrensmuseumofws.org or call 336723-9111.

S CAROLINA Educational Travel

35 YEARS OF SAFE AND RELIABLE STUDENT TRAVEL trip that was giving students $10 a night to eat at a mall. I did not think that was a good idea. My trip would have included a meal one night at Hard Rock Café and a meal at an Italian restaurant one night and saved the school that $10,” said Weisberg.

Wheatley High School took the Philadelphia tour and had this to say: “Our driver was excellent. Our tour director was one of the best in my experience on trips.

Could not have worked any harder for us. Of course we will continue to patronize One If

By Land Tours.”

Stuart Weisberg understands that schools are facing challenges every year. The schools that have used One If By Land Tours receive the best value in student travel and there are no gimmicks. All tours are customized to meet the needs of the students. If there is a One If By Land Tours is a unique student and adult group travel company that many say is “just too good to be true.” But it is and founder Stuart Weisberg will tell you why.

Why is One If By Land Tours different?

“The difference is my 35 years in this business.

People trust me and that opens doors for me that are closed to other groups,” says Weisberg.”

Weisberg says his years in the business have given him the best rates. “I don’t just get the wholesale rate,” he says. “I get the bulk wholesale rates and I can pass that along to the schools, sometimes saving up to $100 per student.”

Because he has this trust from his vendors he is able to not only save schools money on their trips, but also be there for them with any problems that occur during their trip.

“I had a school that was stuck on the highway because their bus broke down. I was able to get someone out there immediately due to my contacts in the business,” related Weisberg. “One school called and told me they had only 13 students and this amount of money and I was able to make it happen.”

Because One If By Land Tours has vast experience and contacts, Weisberg is able to analyze any trip and save schools money with a better experience. “I was looking at a

DAY TRIPS AND EXTENDED TRIPS . WE CAN SAVE THE SCHOOL AND STUDENTS A LOT OF MONEY! . SERVING THE STUDENT MARKET FOR 35+ YEARS . A FAMILY-OWNED COMPANY . MANAGED BY A FORMER TEACHERWE UNDERSTAND CURRICULUM NEEDS AND DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS. . NATIONALLY KNOWN, RESPECTED COMPANY WITH VOLUME BUYING POWER . TOUR DIRECTORS PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED/LICENSED . PRICE QUOTATIONS FREE-OF-CHARGE/NO OBLIGATION

OUR BUYING POWER SAVES STUDENTS MONEY! To request a quote or brochure go to

oneifbylandtours.com

800-592-5566

www.seenmagazine.us

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specific curriculum focus, an itinerary can be developed that more than satisfies that need.

There are tour operators available to discus any itinerary objectives.

Reputable Transportation One If By Land Tours is proud of its reputation for 35 years as a safe and reliable transportation company. They contract with operators that share the same values regarding safety and service and only charter from companies approved by local school districts. The company is a member of TSX (Transportation Safety Exchange) and hires companies that have been approved

by TSX. All coaches are lavatory equipped with DVD players for your enjoyment. The seating capacity of coaches can range from 47-59 passengers. State, city, and district requirements regarding insurance and driver qualifications are strictly adhered to.

One If By Land Tours Inc. continues to lead the industry in value and quality of program. Each year they make dozens of changes and introduce new products, and still visit and evaluate all the components of their packages to assure they meet their high standards.

Every tour is customized to meet the needs of your students. Unless other arrangements have been made, all tours include: • Round trip transportation and the use of the motor coach for the entire tour • Transfers and local transportation for air tours • Quad accommodations for students, double occupancy for the chaperons • All hotels have inside access rooms • A ratio of 1 complimentary tour for every 10 paying tours • Breakfast and dinner daily (lunches when requested) • All admissions to the attractions • A professional tour director aboard each coach for the entire tour • Local licensed guides for sightseeing in cities that require a licensed guide • Customized itinerary planning based on your students’ specific needs • Flexible payment plans Some of the most popular tours that local schools select each year are featured on the website, but One If By Land Tours can develop a tour to any destination in North America and Europe.

Visit www.oneifbylandtours.com to get started.

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S CAROLINA Educational Travel

EDUTAINMENT AT CAROWINDS: THE ‘BEST DAY EVER!’

After a day at Carowinds, students have been overheard saying, “That was the BEST DAY EVER!” and “I didn’t know roller coasters work like THAT!” and “Did you see me up there on stage? I was AWESOME!” Some students are just speechless – completely worn out from a fabulous day of learning and fun.

Carowinds, in Charlotte, is an expert at “edutainment” – the art of mixing experiential learning with an absolute blast. The park combines its expertise for fun with the know-how of leading education and industry specialists to make lessons zoom off the page — sometimes literally.

The spring and summer are teeming with

special event days geared toward education and leadership, music and performance, and just pure celebration.

With rides that go up, down and everywhich-way, Carowinds is a perfect venue for understanding the basics of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

At Education Days, students experience hands-on lessons that link directly to physics of the rides.

For students wanting to take their knowledge of physics to a whole new level, Engineering Day allows them to learn how roller coasters work. Irvine Ondrey, the engineer in charge of the thrills at Carowinds, will explain and demonstrate the electrical

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systems behind running the rides.

Speaking of roller coasters, how can you market experiences that will certainly make consumers tremble with fear and scream at the top of their lungs? It’s possible when you have an expert marketing team at the helm. Marketing Day includes a seminar

by Carowinds’ advertising agency of record, who will discuss the park’s social media advertising campaign. Additionally, the Carowinds marketing department will dish on day-to-day duties.

Student leaders will be get fired up at the park’s Youth Leadership Day. Facilitated

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t in g a r b C ele ay d y r Eve s! e o r He

leadership, public speaking, communication and decision-making skills.

Performance opportunities for students include the Festival of Music, providing middle and high school bands, orchestras, and choral groups a memorable experience.

Directors and their ensembles can showcase their skills and be critiqued by nationally known adjudicators.

Another performance opportunity, the JROTC Cadet Corp Competition, allows Cadet Corps and their directors to display their skills and be evaluated, judged and critiqued by nationally known military drill instructors.

High school seniors wanting to celebrate the end of school can attend GradFest, a SENIOR-sized bash in a safe and secure

environment. Friends will make lifelong memories at live concerts, dance parties, street entertainment and more.

In addition to themed learning and celebration experiences, Carowinds offers pure family fun. Fury 325, the world’s tallest and fastest giga coaster, delivers unparalleled thrills and chills. Plus, as Carowinds is where the Carolinas come together, guests will be steeped in Carolina culture – from gracious hospitality to authentic Southern fare.

Combine all this with over 15 other thrill rides, Planet Snoopy children’s area, a 55-acre on-site campground, and much more, and everyone – students and adults alike -- is set for the best day ever. Visit carowinds.com for the latest information on the new 2016 expansion.

Taking Education to New Heights

ON ACCOMMODATIONS EMEN

T

E AW N

FORC

Military

L

To show our thanks to our teachers, military, and first responders, Surfside Beach Resort invites everyday heroes to enjoy your time off at our oceanfront hotel where you’ll find: • Amazing ocean views • Private balconies • Local dining, steps away • Area attractions nearby

• Scotty's Beach Bar • Beachside pool and hot tub • Free access to Surfside Pier • Wi-Fi and parking included

Unique and enriching experiences for youth groups in a fun and interactive setting: Hands-on educational programs Performance opportunities • Memorable group outings World-class attractions

More information at carowinds.com/youth

• Discounts to area restaurants and attractions

15 South Ocean Boulevard, Surfside, SC 29575 (800) 533-7599 SurfsideBeachResort.com/Everyday-Heroes

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CHARLOTTE, NC

S CAROLINA Educational Travel

YOUR STUDENTS CAN EXPERIENCE A GRAND WESTERN ADVENTURE In 1962, Ken Hayes started his career in education, as a teacher, youth director and coach. One year later he began a journey that continues to this day — a journey that has unfolded over a half a million miles of open road and eclipses five decades. For the past 51 years, Ken has taken 14, 15 and 16 year old students on the adventure

of a lifetime. The idea came from E. Sue Cox Shore, who was a member of Forsyth Country Club when Hayes was their youth director. When she was a student she went on The Old Georgia Caravans, a group that traveled the country in a school bus, camping out in tents and cooking their own food. When she told him of her experience, they decided to start their own modern version and he began as her tour director. Since the summer of 1963 and every year thereafter,

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Hayes has carried out their vision and experienced the joy of discovery through the eyes of his students.

For 33 years as tour director and another 17 as owner, Ken Hayes’s company, Winston-Salem Grand Western Tours, has taken students out West for a safe, fun-filled tour de force of fun. The trips are carefully planned to give students a tour of outstanding points of historical and picturesque interest in the United States. Every effort is made so each tour is

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a memorable one for the students, as Hayes and his staff arrange stimulating, educational and broadening experiences for them.

Lodging facilities are carefully selected to provide variety and to include the rustic beauty of our national parks, the simplicity and relaxation of ranch life, and the comfort and luxury of some of the best hotels and motels. Students are pre-registered at all lodging facilities. Delicious meals, representative of various cultures and backgrounds, are served in selected restaurants throughout the country.

Winston-Salem Grand Western Tours staff members are carefully chosen professionals who provide the students with understanding and appreciation of each person’s individuality. At the same time, they help the group to understand and enjoy the pleasures of community living. Every effort will be made to avoid cliques and each tour member will have a personal responsibility to make the trip enjoyable for everyone.

Live the adventure with Winston-Salem Grand Western Tours: • Watch a horse race from the famous Churchill Downs, site of the Kentucky Derby.

• Soar 630 feet in a capsule to the top of the Archway in St. Louis.

• Dance and dine on the mighty Mississippi River.

• Toss a snowball in June — 14,110 feet off of Pike’s Peak.

• Ride America’s last narrow gauge railroad through the

spectacular San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

• Hike the original trail of the Anasazi at Mesa Verde. Find a clue to the mystery of their disappearance.

• Shoot the Buffalo Rapids on the Flathead River in Montana.

• Go horseback riding at 320 Guest Ranch.

• Enjoy breakfast in the Space Needle overlooking beautiful Elliott Bay and the city of Seattle.

• See the Golden Gate Bridge – Does it really sway in the wind?

• Get locked up in solitary confinement in Alcatraz.

• Identify the 4,000 species at the San Diego Zoo • Tour the USS Midway – the aircraft carrier in service the longest in history.

• Walk the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Don’t miss the Alamo!

• Eat spicy in New Orleans. Sing out when the band plays, “When the Saints Go Marching In”.

After 51 years, the Grand Western Tour has become a family tradition with students, their parents and even their grandparents all taking the trip when they were young. It is literally the thrill of a lifetime and should be experienced if possible.

For more information, visit www.grandwesterntour1.com or call 704-637-6873.

Welcome aboard the USS YORKTOWN on Charleston Harbor.

Interactive standards-based programs written by educators.

5th grade history and science 8th grade leadership career clusters

40 Patriots Point Rd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 PatriotsPoint.org • 843.881.5924

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Educational Travel

What to Do Before Student Travel Goes Awry

By Dan Drennen Imagine 110 of your students stranded roadside after a bus breakdown.

Or nearly 40 arriving in Germany without their luggage because of a volcano. These are real stories. But, thanks to travel insurance, these travel troubles didn’t ruin the trips and didn’t cost students and school districts hundreds to thousands of dollars.

More school districts are making travel insurance mandatory for all overnight school trips. When you consider the premium cost — student group coverage starts at $7.75 per student for post-departure coverage— travel insurance is extremely affordable. Plus, it’s a smart and responsible step to mitigate the risk of weather, world events, or worse, interfering with student travel.

Consider the expense parents pay in advance for their child’s nonrefundable overseas school trip. Should an unforeseen illness, injury, or death in the family cause the trip to be cancelled, a travel insurance plan would reimburse that expense. With overseas trips averaging $3,000 per student, that could be a substantial hit to a family’s budget. Trip cancellation coverage should be strongly recommended. Or, better yet, just include insurance in the cost of the trip.

Student travel insurance also includes per person coverage for emergency medical treatment and emergency medical transportation. This benefit should not be overlooked. How many of your students have health insurance? Does it provide coverage for foreign travel? What is the out-of-network co-pay? Does it include coverage for emergency medical transportation? Is there a 24-hour emergency assistance provider? Student travel insurance provides $25,000 of primary (first payer) medical coverage with no deductible, $100,000 emergency evacuation and 24-hour worldwide emergency assistance services.

Student travel insurance also provides coverage for travel delays of six hours or more, lost or stolen baggage, missed connections and baggage delays.

Just take a closer look at the two real-life stories mentioned earlier. When one of three motor coaches carrying 110 marching band students broke down, the motor coach company couldn’t find a repair service or replacement coach. And even if they had, the drivers were approaching their maximum allowed driving time. The bandleader, teachers and chaperones faced the challenge of feeding three busloads of hungry teenagers and finding overnight accommodations — not to mention repairing the motor coach. But just one call to the travel insurance emergency assistance service solved the problem.

Not only did the travel insurance assistance company find accommodations for the night but travel insurance also covered the group’s dinners and breakfast. Travel insurance reimbursed the entire expense — $7,300.

In another true story, 39 Massachusetts students were traveling to Germany when an Icelandic volcano eruption disrupted travel worldwide. Although delayed, the students arrived in Germany — but without their luggage.

Fortunately, they had student group travel insurance, and it included a baggage delay benefit that reimbursed them for up to $300 per person for purchase of essential items. In this case, they needed underwear! After they returned home, their teacher called Travel Insurance Center to say that the shopping trip was one of the students’ most fun and memorable parts of the trip. Just imagine how badly that story could have ended.

Insurance is designed to protect your assets. The greatest asset your school has is students.

Dan Drennen is the Travel Insurance Center director of sales and marketing For more information call 866-979-6753, extension 3621, or e-mail dan@ travelinsurancecenter.com.

Your school’s French club made it to Paris.

Too bad the luggage didn’t.

Weather, world events, or worse — a lot can interfere with student travel.

Protect them with travel insurance.

• Lost or stolen baggage • Delayed flights

• 24-hour emergency assistance services • Medical expenses

Ⓡ

1-866-979-6753

www.travelinsurancecenter.com/student www.seenmagazine.us

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Educational Travel

Game on!

Game on! Your class has earned a coveted All-Access Pass to the hallowed halls of college football. On your field trip, you and your students will experience the science, history, rivalries, and pageantry that have made college football one of the most beloved sports in America.

The College Football Hall of Fame is highlyimmersive and engaging. It blends historic artifacts with state-of-the-art, multimedia college football exhibits. Your class will get a vivid look into the rich traditions and contagious excitement of the game. You are sure to score points with your students as 138

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you use the topic of sports, along with the interactive experiences at the Hall of Fame itself, to connect the educational themes of the exhibition to national and local T.E.A.M.S.™ curricula – Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Mathematics and Science.

Your students will be swept up in the spirit of college football with a chance to paint their faces (virtually!), show their school spirit through song, play the role of an on-camera sports broadcaster, listen to player interviews, and build their own college football program.

This will be THE field trip of the year!

As a companion to your field trip experience to The College Football Hall of Fame, comprehensive Teacher’s Guides for Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12 are available for you to download and use before, during, and after your school visit.

These Teacher’s Guides contain original, T.E.A.M.S.™ classroom lesson plans along with additional inquiry-based interdisciplinary activities and project ideas incorporating social studies and language arts for you to use and share. You will also find ready-to-copy

On your field trip, you and your students will experience the science, history, rivalries, and pageantry that have made college football one of the most beloved sports in America!

TEAMS™ Curricula

Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics and Science.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts along with both the Next Generation Science Standards and the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards for Grades 3 -12 plus relevant local standards for Georgia and surrounding states.

Email: groups@cfbhall.com / Call: 404.880.4841 to book your group.

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activity worksheets with detailed instructions for both you and your students allowing for straight-forward assessment. Rounding out the lesson plans are football-themed games and puzzles, recommended reading lists, a “Football 101” reference guide, and a timeline of college football in US history.

We know how important it is to be able to justify field trips and document how instructional time is spent outside of your classroom. The Hall offers FREE Teacher’s Playbooks directly correlated to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts along with both the Next Generation Science Standards and the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards. Also included are the state content standards for Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee for your planning needs.

WE LOVE GROUPS!

Affordable prices. Endless variety.

Special pricing for groups of 25 or more. www.goldencorral.com

suddenly, learning feels like

recess

INSPIRE THE IMAGINATIONS OF YOUR STUDENTS

by planning a field trip to the world’s most magical aquarium, Georgia Aquarium - with spectacular galleries, amazing animals & educational opportunities. Plus you can take advantage of deeply discounted rates for school groups. Contact us at groupsales@GeorgiaAquarium.org or 404.581.4121 | GeorgiaAquarium.org |

#1 AQUARIUM

IN THE U.S.

Georgia Aquarium is a not-for-profit organization, inspiring awareness and conservation of aquatic animals.

File Name: 15AQUA1436_SeenMagFall_2 140 Fall 2015 SouthEast Education Network Client: Ga Aquarium Desc.: Seen Magazine Fall 2015

Live: NA Trim: 7.475”W x 4.875”H Bleed: NA

Color: 4C Process Built @: 100% Printed @: 100%

Educational Travel

THE CENTER FOR PUPPETRY ARTS HELPS LESSON PLANS COME TO LIFE

The Center provides educational experiences that encourage creativity, support school-day learning, fuel holistic development, and provide accessible, hands-on opportunities to participate in arts activities. The Center’s live performances, interactive workshops, and guided museum tours provide educational creative arts experiences to students that aren’t available in classrooms while also providing teachers with opportunities to infuse the arts into their curriculum goals. Through its award-winning Distance Learning program, the Center can present live, interactive educational performances and curriculum-based workshops through an Internet connection — allowing virtual field trips around the world. All the Center’s activities support educational standards across the curriculum, and free educator resources such as standards listings and educator resource guides are available free online for download.

By offering free preview tickets to educators, one free ticket for every 10 purchased, free lunchroom space, as well as limited free parking, the Center keeps the costs of a trip down. The Center also partners with Title www.seenmagazine.us

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PERFORMANCES! WORKSHOPS! EXHIBITS! VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS!

book a field trip today!

404.873.3391 puppet.org 1404 Spring Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309 Season supported in part by: Fulton County Board of Commissioners; the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs; and Georgia Council for the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Images ©Center for Puppetry Arts; Kermit the Frog © 2015 Disney. All Rights Reserved

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I schools and other organizations serving lowincome and special needs populations to reach a broad range of students, particularly those who have few opportunities to participate in the arts.

Field trips can include a performance such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer™, a visit to our world-class museum exhibits, an interactive Create-A-Puppet Workshop, and a pre- or post-visit Distance Learning or Outreach program. A highlight of your field trip will be the Center ’s new Worlds of Puppetry Museum (opening Nov. 2015), which showcases a Global Collection of puppets from around the world,

as well as the world’s most comprehensive collection of Jim Henson’s puppets and artifacts, including many pieces from Sesame Street, the Muppets and more.

When children return home from a Center for Puppetry Arts field trip, often with a puppet they’ve built and brought to life in a workshop, it is obvious to parents and others that the visit made a significant impression. The children are full of excitement and new ideas, proud of the one-of-a-kind puppet they created and eager to share what was learned. Arts-based educational programming, like that delivered at the Center, gives children the opportunity to express themselves and explore creative, new ideas. It’s in this way that a visit to the Center often has a long-term impact: it inspires further exploration of the arts, and enhances children’s confidence to express themselves.

For a child — especially a child who has had little or no exposure to the arts — a field trip to the Center for Puppetry Arts can be truly life changing.

Advance purchase is highly recommended as events often sell out.

For more information on booking a group trip to the Center for Puppetry Arts, please call the ticket sales office at 404-873-3391 or visit puppet.org.

Educational Travel

CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS SHAPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS

The Center for Civil and Human Rights is Atlanta’s newest, must-see, cultural attraction. A bold, immersive, and interactive experience, The Center engages visitors on a powerful journey designed to educate, inspire and empower. The Center’s mission is to empower people to take the protection of every human’s rights personally. In its first year, the award-winning Center lived up to its mission by providing opportunities for people to envision their role in creating a more just and humane future for all, while helping to shape the next generation of human rights leaders.

The Center features three primary exhibitions. In “Rolls Down Like Water,” the American Civil Rights Movement comes to life as visitors are offered the chance to experience the bravery of individuals, young and old, through exhibits like the interactive surround-sound lunch counter which captures the oppression and intolerance endured by protesters during the historic Greensboro, North

Carolina sit-ins. Particularly impactful for third, fifth and eighth grade students, this exhibition meets many of the Georgia Performance Standards for Social Studies.

In “Spark of Conviction; The Global Human Rights Movement,” students and teachers are encouraged to look at the world in a new way by constantly underscoring

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the link between the choices individuals make and the shared responsibility we all have to uphold the rights of others. This is brought to life through responsive touchscreen mirrors offering the opportunity to experience life in another person’s shoes by placing visitors face-to-face with the injustice and discrimination felt by an everyday individual from a different part of the world.

A highlight of The Center, “Voice to the Voiceless: The Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection,” presents a rare collection of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s personal papers and items. Students will have a unique look into the life of Dr. King, who was a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, a gifted orator, and a tireless advocate for human rights. Fifth and eighth grade educators and their students in Georgia will find this gallery to be invaluable as they work to meet the Georgia Performance Standards for Social Studies.

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self guides, supplemental activities and teacher resources to engage and empower students and teachers, grades three through 12. More than 50,000 students and 1,200 teachers have visited The Center in its first year.

Conveniently located next to the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium at Pemberton Place, the Center for Civil and Human Rights is a must-visit destination in Atlanta for all generations.

The Center for Civil and Human Rights is also one of the five downtown attractions on the 2015 CityPASS, a ticket booklet that saves up to 43 percent or more on admission, alongside the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Inside CNN Studio Tour, and College Football Hall of Fame, plus Zoo Atlanta, and Fernbank. Purchase CityPASS using this link: http://citypass.com/ atlanta?mv_source=civilrights&campaign.

For more details, hours, and ticket information, visit www.civilandhumanrights. org. Like us on Facebook and follow us Twitter (@Ctr4CHR)

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Imagine a history lesson presented by a King and his Noble Court set within the walls of an 11th century-style castle. Every detail is painstakingly recreated as your students take a personal journey back to the Middle Ages.

The student program at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament greatly enhances your classroom lesson by providing an educational and entertaining program for students of all ages - a learning experience students will enjoy and remember.

For more information please visit

educators.medievaltimes.com Or Call 866-543-5278

VISIT ANY OF OUR 9 CASTLES IN NORTH AMERICA: Orlando, FL | Buena Park, CA | Lyndhurst, NJ Chicago, IL | Dallas, TX | Toronto, CN | Myrtle Beach, SC Baltimore/Washington, DC | Atlanta, GA

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Educational Travel

FUN & EDUCATIONAL

OPPORTUNITIES IN FLORIDA

Merlin Entertainments is a business built on fun, and we believe that learning is fun too. In Florida alone, you can find a variety of attractions that offer students educational opportunities and the chance to make memories.

LEGOLAND Florida Resort LEGOLAND® Florida Resort makes learning fun by taking imagination outside the classroom with its fifth year of educational field trips. The park offers STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) focused programs and an all-new literacy focused program that meets the Florida State Standards. The programs translate classroom curriculum into real-world examples featuring LEGO products for grades K-6 including the WeDo Robotics LEGO® Education Set, StoryStarter and LEGO MINDSTORMS® Education EV3.

Working with LEGOLAND Florida Resort, teachers can choose from a number of programs and associated in-classroom curriculums that tie in to interactive in-park activities. In the park, program facilitators teach kids about science, math and reading concepts through the creation and strength of structures, how to build simple machines equipped with gears, levers, pulleys and motors, the art of storytelling and more.

Each of the nine programs includes a 45-minute hands-on, educational session and a full day at the park for just $10 per student.

Field trip reservations are limited per day and can be reserved by appropriate school officials online at http://florida.legoland.com/ education or by calling 877-350-5346.

In addition to the education programs, LEGOLAND Florida guests can experience more than 50 rides; shows and attractions specifically geared toward families with children ages two to 12. The five-story, 152room hotel immerses guests into a creative LEGO® world designed to bring children’s imaginations to life. To find out more, visit http://florida. legoland.com.

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The Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds Orlando and SEA LIFE Orlando The new Orlando Eye, SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium and Madame Tussauds Orlando offer interactive and engaging educational opportunities for students K-12 to expand learning outside the classroom. All three Orlando attractions will provide programs spanning from math and engineering to science and the arts, and will be aligned with Florida state educational standards.

Working with each attraction, teachers can choose from a variety of 45-minute age-appropriate programs geared towards students of all grade levels, which help transfer in-class curriculum into real world examples through immersive field trip experiences.

The 400-foot tall Orlando Eye will offer more than just stunning views of Central Florida’s landscape. Students can discover how to apply basic physics and geography concepts as they learn what it takes to operate this engineering marvel that is poised to become Orlando’s newest icon. More information can be found at https:// www.offcialorlandoeye.com or by calling 866-228-6444.

At SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium, students will dive head first into marine biology, visiting more than 5,000 sea creatures to learn about different animals, their habitats and conservation initiatives locally, statewide and globally. More information can be found at https://www.visitsealife.com/orlando or by calling 866-228-6444.

Madame Tussauds will bring history to life by exploring figures featured inside the attraction, delving into the artistic and intricate process of creating its lifelike figures, and learning about Madame Marie Tussauds, the trailblazing woman, whose wax sculpting methods are still used more than 200 years later.

More information can be found at https://www.madametussauds.com/ orlando or by calling 866-228-6444.

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Educational Travel

EXCITEMENT IN ORLANDO Which is faster, an airboat, a go-kart or an alligator? It might surprise your students to know that the airboats at Wild Florida Airboat Tours and Wildlife Park aren’t nearly as fast as the Go-Karts at I-Drive NASCAR — and they’re only slightly faster than an alligator when he’s sprinting through the breeding marsh at Gatorland!

Besides being consistently voted three of Orlando’s most favorite attractions, Wild Florida Airboat Tours and Wildlife Park, I-Drive NASCAR and Gatorland are also three of Orlando’s most beloved places to book student fieldtrips! Clocking in at around 35 m.p.h., Wild Florida’s airboats cruise a 13 acre slice of paradise located at the headwaters of the Everglades. Besides seeing a bevy of alligators and eagles — even cows — in a pristine and protected setting, students can learn about native and exotic 148

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LEVEL. TAKE LEARNING TO A NEW

Bring your students to Universal Orlando® Resort for a Universal Studies program. The real-life applications of our programs will inspire your students and are strategically designed to support national standards in education.

The new Business Learning Series presented by CNBC’s The Profit featuring Marcus Lemonis helps students with career preparation, business development and leadership skills. Other program topics include ride design and culinary arts. In addition, students can go on educational tours of Universal Orlando.

Whatever program you choose for your students, you can stay just steps away at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort and enjoy exclusive theme park benefits. At Universal, learning is the height of fun.

UniversalOrlandoYouth.com | 1-800-YOUTH15 Cabana Bay Beach Resort © 2015 UCF Hotel Venture II. All rights reserved. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2015 Universal Studios. © 2015 Universal Orlando. All rights reserved. 1508599/CS

animals in Wild Florida’s Wildlife Park and even hop on a ranch buggy to tour and explore the significance and impact of the cattle industry and ranching in Central Florida.

And when your students are ready to pick up the pace, why not zoom on over to I-Drive NASCAR and hop into a SODIKART! I-Drive NASCAR’s SODIKART RTX is the new generation of electric karts clocking in at an amazing 45 m.p.h.! And not only do they leave airboats in their dust, students can discover how ergonomics, engineering and high-energy absorption can truly be amazing for the environment.

And sometimes, slower and steadier wins the race — at least for the alligators at Gatorland — because they don’t have to swim too far or fast to partake in all-you-can-eat turkey dogs thanks to Gatorland’s guests. But they could if they wanted. Alligators clock in at an incredible 20 m.p.h. in the water — 11 m.p.h. on land!

And that’s just one of about a million jaw-dropping facts kids can learn at Gatorland, Central Florida’s very first attraction that opened in 1949!

Today, there are thousands of alligators, crocodiles, nesting birds, bobcats, panthers, deer, raccoons, snakes, and other things that go bump in the night that call Gatorland home. And not only can you zip line over an actual alligator breeding marsh, Gatorland has three of only 12 leucistic “white” alligators in the world. So the next time you’re ready to book a field trip, why not race to Wild Florida, I-Drive Nascar and Gatorland! All three are highly informative, wildly entertaining and, above all, great places to satisfy any student’s need for speed!

WHERE NATURE and CULTURE MEET

Wander through the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History, take in world famous works of arts at the Harn Museum and discover beautiful natural surroundings at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, where nature and culture meet.

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VisitGainesville.com

@ Gainesville

Educational Travel

ONE-OF-A-KIND MUSIC CITY EXPERIENCES

Whether your class is filled with aspiring songwriters, vocalists, instrumentalists, or just ardent fans of music, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is a must-see destination for all ages. Not only does the museum provide a unique learning opportunity but also an array of hands-on experiences that expand the stories told in the museum’s exhibitions.

A number of group tour programs provide a behind-the-scenes look at the music industry. One of the most popular group packages, STAR FOR A DAY begins on Nashville’s famed Music Row with a tour of Historic RCA Studio B. Following a guided tour, students will gather around the legendary microphone for a recording session with a professional sound engineer. The experience concludes with lunch at the Wildhorse Saloon or Hard Rock Cafe where the group can listen to their newly recorded hit.

SHARING THE ART OF SONGWRITING allows students to experience what makes songwriting in Nashville so special. During this interactive one hour, co-writing program, the group will work closely with one of Nashville’s most accomplished songwriters as they 152

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guide students in composing original lyrics of their own. The session concludes with a group recording of the new tune.

For students with an interest in art, design or history, the nearly 135-year-old HATCH SHOW PRINT is not to be missed. With a visit to one of the oldest working letter press print shops in the nation, the group will see the presses at work and learn about the history of Hatch. They’ll also see the colorful, centuries-old posters that put the shop on the map — as well as recent works for their favorite entertainers! The tour concludes with an opportunity to get hands on with some of the tools of the trade as they print their own keepsake poster.

Students also can be part of Music City by performing at the museum. From small choirs to full marching bands, musical visitors will find that the museum offers the perfect location to stage an unforgettable show. MUSIC CITY SHOWCASE opportunities are available throughout the year.

Can’t travel to Nashville? The museum can also provide classroom support to students unable to visit Nashville. Thanks to the Taylor Swift Education Center’s videoconference learning lab, programs can beam live directly into classrooms. Offerings include songwriting experiences, music history programs and educator professional development. Pre- and post-program lesson materials that align with core curriculum are available for all offerings.

For more information or to book your group experience, visit countrymusichalloffame.org, or call 615-416-2001.

Learn about the woman who became a movement.

ANNIVERSARY

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT

Sixty years ago, Rosa Parks’ simple act of bravery became an important symbol of the Civil Rights Movement. Today, you can step back in time and experience the sights and sounds that forever changed our country. Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum is a state-of-the-art, interactive facility that honors one of America’s most beloved women.

Visit today and learn all about this freedom warrior firsthand.

For ticket information and hours, visit troy.edu/rosaparks. © 2015 Troy University

OUR MOST POPULAR STUDENT EXPERIENCES

STAR FOR A DAY

HATCH SHOW PRINT TOUR

SHARING THE ART OF SONGWRITING

MUSIC CITY SHOWCASE

Historic RCA Studio B Recording Package

GROUP RATES AVAILABLE

VISIT

STEP INSIDE This House

222 5th Ave. South

GRACELAND.COM/GROUPS

For Performing Groups

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H

800-238-2010

StudioB.org

•

•

Nashville, TN 37203

CountryMusicHallofFame.org

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800.852.6437

HatchShowPrint.com

© EPE. Graceland is a trademark of EPE. Elvis Presley™; Photo © 2015 ABG EPE IP LLC

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PONTCHARTRAIN TO GRAND ISLE

Looking for an adventure? One with a heap of history, a hearty helping of nature, and a whole lot of culture all blended with fun? Jefferson Parish Louisiana, neighboring New Orleans, is a sprawling 60 miles from the shores of Lake Pontchartrain to the sandy beaches of Grand Isle. It’s a diverse community boasting some of the nation’s best historic districts, cuisine, nature trails, shopping, and unique bayou and marsh adventures. Established in 1825, the parish is named for Thomas Jefferson, commemorating his role in purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.

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Main Street USA district. The area features Heritage Park’s display of turn-of-the-century replicas such as the hardware store and gas station. The Kenner Planetarium and MegaDome Cinema is “out of this world” with a 50 foot domed screen featuring a variety of galactic shows as well as laser-light displays set to musical themes.

Visit LaSalle’s Landing, the site of the first World Heavy Weight Championship Boxing match in 1870. Jefferson’s Gretna historic district is one of the nation’s largest and is steeped in history of life along the mighty Mississippi River. Gretna is the governmental seat of the parish and is considered to be one of the oldest neighborhoods. Visit the Louisiana State Fire Museum, the

Gretna Green Blacksmith Shop, learn the history behind the railway system and see memorabilia housed inside “the red caboose”; the Southern Pacific Freight Depot and the Illinois Central Caboose.

Visit the German American Cultural Museum where you will learn the history of our beloved immigrants, get a “taste” of culture and even enjoy music and dance! The City of Westwego was once a passageway for pioneers headed for the western frontier, the story is Westwego got its name from folks often shouting — “west-we-go”! A fun fact for a fun district filled with culture and heritage. Sala Avenue is the heart of the historic district featuring the Westwego Historical Museum with authentic trapping,

fishing and hunting displays. The Old Hardware Store, the Art Guild and Farmers and Fisheries Market complete with musical entertainment, round out an area steeped in tradition.

Excitement along the waterways of the Barataria Basin, considered by Thomas Jefferson as the crown jewel of the Louisiana Purchase, comes in the form of high-speed airboat adventure or the slow-moving pontoon exploration of our swamps and bayous. Native Cajuns will navigate your waterway experience through the marsh and bayous of Louisiana’s wetlands. See alligators, turtles, egrets, and Louisiana’s bayou rat, the nutria. Experience holding a baby alligator! Learn the importance of this fragile ecosystem. Tour the Lafitte Barataria Museum which tells the story of this 200 year old fishing community and its most famous resident Pirate Jean Lafitte, then stroll the nature boardwalk to experience nature up close.

Visit Jefferson Parish where you come for the tour, and leave with a tale!

Experience Jefferson, New Orleans’ playful neighbor!

Educational and adventurous student tours year-round.

Explore historic districts discovering Louisiana’s oldest Fire Museum, or NASA’s one-of-a-kind mock Space Station. Experience the thrill of an airboat ride, or hike the nature trails of Jean Lafitte National Park & Preserve.

Discover value-priced accommodations, most with a complimentary continental breakfast, free parking, and kid-friendly dining.

Jefferson Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. 3 Call 504.731.7083 3 Toll Free 1.877.572.7474 3 VisitJeffersonParish.com

S TAY L A FAY E T T E 800 346 1958 www.seenmagazine.us

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Educational Travel

LAUNCH AN INSPIRING ADVENTURE IN HAMPTON

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Centered in coastal Virginia and located a short drive from Williamsburg, Hampton offers students an experience that spans from the Sea to the Stars. At 400 years and counting, Hampton is rich in history and the city showcases its heritage through its multifaceted attractions and tour sites.

The Virginia Air and Space Center, visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center and Langley Air Force Base offer an array of educational programming for grades Pre-K through 12 designed to meet Virginia’s Standards of Learning guidelines and national Science Educational Standards.

With an aim to stimulate students’ interest in STEM careers, the center’s informal science education approach promotes learning through doing, allowing students to find solutions to scientific problems.

A docent-led tour of the world-class facility features more than 100 hands-on exhibits, a technologically advanced digital 3D IMAX Theater, flight simulators, air and space artifacts and suspended aircraft.

The Educator Resource Center (ERC) on site provides free instructional information, materials from wall posters to reference books, consultation, training workshops on NASA educational products, programs and services.

Working daily to partner with educators to help students reach their academic goals, the Hampton History Museum programs illustrate the past’s influence on the world today. Teacher workshops designed to increase educators’ knowledge of history and improve teaching skills return educators to the classroom with new ideas, greater confidence and resources to make history engaging.

The museum’s Legacy Project Tool Kit contains all the information a class needs to get started on a legacy project. In addition to cultivating students’ research and presentation skills, the program will help preserve historic and natural resources, share history with a wider audience and serve the nation by creating a lasting legacy.

Completed in 1834, Fort Monroe was designed to protect the Hampton Roads waterways and is the largest stone fort in America. The fort’s formidable stone walls are surrounded by a moat and three sally ports admit vehicular and foot traffic.

Casemate Museum, located within the fort’s walls, chronicles the military history of Fort Monroe.

You can cast off for a three-hour nautical adventure aboard the Miss Hampton II, featuring the scenic Hampton Roads harbor, island garrison Fort Wool, Fort Monroe, the Battle of the Ironclads, and in-depth review of the mighty warships at the Norfolk Naval Base. Teen Party Cruises are two-hour excursions featuring scenic views of the harbor, a DJ playing favorite tunes, pizza, and unlimited soda bar. This tour’s always a hit!

Hampton is home to Hampton University, whose historic campus contains national historic landmarks, including Emancipation Oak where Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was read to the residents of Hampton during the Civil War. The Hampton University Museum has a collection of more than 9,000 objects and works of art from cultures around the world and is the largest museum of its kind in the southeastern U.S. Hampton CVB provides tour assistance.

Contact Bruce Newton at 800-487-8778 or bnewton@hamptoncvb.com. He’s eager to help you plan your Hampton visit.

COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH ADVENTURE.

Discover the history, the attractions and the flavorful culture that make Hampton a city unlike any other. 800.800.2202 VisitHampton.com

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HENRICUS HISTORICAL Next Stop PARK The 17th Century

Henricus Historical Park is located on the historic James River — originally called the Powhatan River by native inhabitants — about 80 miles west of Jamestown, America’s first successful colony. It became the 1611 site for the second successful colonial “citie” in North America.

Today the nine acre living history park set within the 810 acre Dutch Gap Nature Preserve with its diverse woods, wetlands and wildlife, has more than 16 colonial and Indian-era re-created buildings peopled with costumed living history interpreters.

Indian and English farms abound with 17th century foods, an eraspecific tobacco crop and English domesticated animals such as goats, pigs and chickens.

Henricus provides a series of school programs for grades Pre-K-12 that focus on national and state standards for social studies and history and on STEM sciences, math and technology.

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community filled with additional costumed Indian and English Interpreters. Also, board the Jamestown Settlement’s colonial ship Godspeed. Demonstrations and activities will include in the English area: blacksmithing, carpentry, ships’ navigation, tobacco horticulture and trade, musket firings and 17th century navigation and life aboard a 17th century sailing ship. In the Indian village,

there will be demonstrations on farming, hunting, tool making and cooking. Environmental demonstrations will take place on the banks of the James River.

Henricus Archaeology Day (Oct. 3) will join a Family Fun Day of archaeology activities for children of all ages with talks on the history and archaeology of the area for adults.

Join us for Things That Go Bump in the Night! (Oct. 28- 29) – step back to a 17th century harvest evening of walks through both Indian and English villages with fireside renditions of Virginia Indian and Old English legends and folklore. “Capture the essence of what a Colonist felt between 1607- 1622 in a strange new land surrounded by danger, darkness and uncertain peril.”

Henricus Historical Park Second successful English colony in the New World

Watch for New Venues at Henricus: A new James River Wetlands Walkway with science kiosks will be built near Henricus this year. Science and the Environment – STEM Programs for educational groups of all ages are currently being developed.

Henricus will be bringing in its own colonial era sailing ship – the Sea Lion. Dry docked at Henricus it will serve as a “classroom” of 17th century sailing, colonial voyages and the tobacco trade.

Surrounding it will be built a 1600s River Commerce Area.

There is always something fun, exciting, educational and UNUSUAL going on at Henricus Historical Park in Chester Virginia.

Today at Henricus Historical Park: Pre-K – K History Kids: Indian & Colonial visit the re-created English Citie and nearby Indian village of Arrohateck – located outside Richmond, VA on Elementary the historic James River. Educators and period-dressed Voyage to Virginia People of the River: Powhatan Indians historical interpreters provide multi-curricular programs, camps and family events for children and adults of all Success of the Citie: Henricus ages. School programs target grades Pre-K – 12: Mapping the James River Onsite and Outreach Programs, Two Lives of Pocahontas Camps and Teacher 17th Century Sciences Resources available.

Secondary Math & Mapping the James River Cultures in Contact: Archaeology & Living History Colonial Cultures on the James River 17th Century Sciences Virginia Governments Voted 2012 Best Park by Contact us for program and booking information. readers of Richmond.com

Call us at 804-318-8797 for more information or look us up at www.henricus.org for a full schedule with details of our public events and educational opportunities.

1611 - 1622

400 years ago on the James River: learn bow hunting skills, march with the Colonial militia, compare and contrast the life of Pocahontas as both an Indian girl and an English woman, play childhood games of the Powhatan and Colonial peoples, or work with science, navigational and medical equipment of the 17th century.

804.318.8797 www.henricus.org or rupinskia@chesterfield.gov

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Discover Colonial Williamsburg The Revolutionary City Discover Colonial Williamsburg and become a citizen of the Revolutionary City.

Engage with the local community and experience firsthand the daily struggles of wartime. Explore the art museums, unleash students’ inner colonists, tee off a game of golf, or relax and unwind at the Spa. Stay at one of the official Colonial Williamsburg hotels, with a variety of opportunities to shop and dine, and you’ll never want to leave.

Tours Engage with Your Surroundings Your visit to the Revolutionary City isn’t complete without the freedom to explore. Enjoy one of more than 20 guided and self-guided tours — included in your admission ticket — offered daily. Enter into the homes and gardens of Williamsburg’s 18th-century residents, get a firsthand perspective from a curator, or see the city by foot on a walking tour.

Orientation Walk Start your visit to the Revolutionary City with an informative walk designed to help you create your firsthand adventure. In addition to an overview of modern wayfinding, dining, and shopping options, you’ll get your first glimpse at a town on the edge of Revolution and war and learn of the many ways to engage with your fellow citizens — our interpreters.

The Official Ghost Walk of Colonial Williamsburg Learn of the ghosts that still haunt the taverns and historic buildings of Colonial Williamsburg. Enjoy spirited and interactive 21st century folklore of the Revolutionary City.

Tour the City See inside famous residents’ homes, like that of George Wythe, or explore the Capitol, where a successful vote initiated American independence.

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Tour the Art Museums Take an in-depth look at an exhibit with a guided Art Museum Tour or venture on your own into the collections of furniture, ceramics, and textiles from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

Tour the Gardens Tour our vibrant 18th century gardens at your leisure or enhance your understanding of heirloom gardening techniques with a guided garden tour.

Carriage Rides Give your legs a rest and see the city sights by horse-drawn carriage.

Behind the Scenes Discover what goes on behind the scenes to give you an authentic experience.

Explore the campus of educational outreach, library, and object conservation facilities. Learn about making the costumes worn in the Revolutionary City or the archaeological finds that informed the rebuilding of the Public Armory.

Guided Walking Tours During the day, find out about Colonial Williamsburg’s gardens and what makes them grow or learn of the women of 18th century Williamsburg. By night, hear stories of ghosts and pirates or discover how the Civil War affected the town.

Bits and Bridles Learn more about Colonial Williamsburg’s modern stable and rare breeds program during Bits and Bridles, a walking tour that allows guests to view the facilities, discuss animal treatment and training, and get up close and personal with some of the animals.

Education The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a not-for-profit, privately funded, educational and cultural organization. All

proceeds from tickets to the Revolutionary City and museums, Colonial Williamsburg hotels, dining, Spa, shops, and golf courses directly fund the educational mission.

Colonial Williamsburg brings students into the heart of history by using modern technology to tell the stories of America’s past. The aim is to share this rich history and encourage citizen engagement through publications, online games, podcasts, music, photographs, videos, electronic field trips, classroom guides and teacher training.

For information, visit http:// www.colonialwilliamsburg.com.

Join our city of DREAMERS, IDEALISTS, REBELS and LOYALISTS.

T

here’s a movement to victory in the Revolutionary City…townspeople dreaming of freedom amidst the uncertainty of a future at war. Bring your student or youth group to walk beside our colonists and experience daily life throughout this 300-acre city. Storm the Palace, join a Revolution in the Streets, and dine with patriots in our historic taverns. Our tour team can tailor your group’s experience based on any education standards, interest, or need.

To plan your trip call 1-800-228-8878, email groupsales@cwf.org, or visit colonialwilliamsburg.com/grouptours.

Stay and Make Some History.™ © 2015 The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

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Educational Travel

NORFOLK

THE HEART OF THE VIRGINIA WATERFRONT Located conveniently along the MidAtlantic coast, Norfolk, Virginia is the ideal destination for action-packed and affordable, educational tours. With an abundance of outdoor activities, historical and cultural attractions, this riverside city offers exciting choices for new learning!

Let your students become researchers discovering the wonders of African wildlife at Norfolk’s Virginia Zoo. Students will learn how to do an observation by practicing in a classroom and then venturing out into the African exhibit. Learners will also discover how animal populations interact in the wild or in a captive situation.

Students can hop on the Norfolk Southern Express. Three cars can accommodate up to 66 passengers — adults and children. The ride includes live narration from the train engineer about the Zoo and its collection of plants and animals.

Norfolk is earning its reputation as the glass capital of the Eastern Seaboard and is swiftly gaining notoriety as one of the major players in the worldwide glassmaking

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industry. The Chrysler Glass Studio, a 7,000 square foot studio, is a popular choice for hands on learning. The studio features public glassblowing demonstrations,

classes, a Visiting Artist Series and an Artist in Residence program. Next door, at the nationally renowned Chrysler Museum of Art, you’ll find 5,000 years of art history and Walter P. Chrysler Jr.’s world-class collection of more than 30,000 works of art.

Students get to explore the nautical, naval and natural power of the sea at Nauticus, Norfolk’s interactive science maritime museum. This enormous science and technology center boasts over 150 interactive exhibits. Also located at Nauticus are the Hampton Roads Naval Museum and the historic Battleship Wisconsin, the largest battleship ever constructed by the U.S. Navy! For more nautical fun, students may climb aboard one of several harbor cruises including a learning adventure on the topsail schooner, American Rover, or a tour of the world’s largest naval base aboard the Victory Rover.

Consider visiting one of our outdoor classrooms while in Norfolk. With Norfolk’s

mild climate, students can discover nature at the World of Wonders — the largest children’s adventure garden on the East Coast and one of over 20 themed gardens featured at Norfolk Botanical Gardens.

Norfolk is also home to many sites that helped shape the history of the United States. Students can not only read about the Revolutionary War, but they can also visit St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where a cannonball from the Battle of Great Bridge remains lodged in one of the church’s original walls. While walking along the city’s heritage trail, known as the Cannonball Trail, visitors can also experience more than 40 historic sites woven throughout downtown Norfolk.

MacArthur Memorial, the final resting place for General Douglas MacArthur and his wife, help bright minds delve deeper into Norfolk’s military history.

DISCOVER. EXPERIENCE. CONNECT.

Getting around the city has never been easier with Virginia’s first light rail system, The Tide. For more information on Norfolk attractions or student programs, call 800-3683097 or visit www.visitnorfolktoday.com.

“Engaging, great topics, interactive. A great place to bring students.”

– TEACHER, GUNSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL, ARLINGTON, VA.

• Discounted Newseum admission for school groups • FREE history, civics and media literacy classes for grades 3–university Call 202/292-6650 to book your class trip today!

NEWSEUM.ORG/EDUCATION 555 PENNSYLVANIA AVE.,N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C. TripAdvisor’s 2014 Travelers’ Choice Top 10 Museums in the U.S.

The Tasty Part of The Trip!

Even on a field trip, you’re never far from a home-style meal when you bring the whole group to Piccadilly. With so many delicious classic choices, there’s sure to be something for everyone. Plus, bus drivers and tour coordinators eat free with groups of 15 or more.

How’s that for extra credit?

To make your tour group reservations, contact Keith Brown at (800) 535-9974 ext. 8335, email groupreservations@piccadilly.com or visit Piccadilly.com for booking and meal packages.

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Real Meals. Real Fresh.

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CONFERENCE PLANNER 2015-16

LN Education Summit 2015 National League for Nursing

Council of the Great City Schools 59th Annual Fall Conference

National Rural Education Association Annual Convention

Las Vegas, NV 09/30/2015 - 10/04/2015

Long Beach, CA 10/07/2015 - 10/11/2015

Young Child Expo & Conference

Annual International Conference: Division of Early Childhood

Hyatt Regency at the Arch St. Louis, Missouri 10/16/2015 - 10/18/2015

Spokane, WA 10/01/2015-10/02/2015 NACAC 2015 - National Association for College Admission Counseling

San Diego, CA 10/01/2015 - 10/03/2015 AASA/ACSA Women’s Leadership Conference

TBD California 10/01/2015 - 10/03/2015 AFT Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference

Sheraton New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana 10/02/2015 - 10/04/2015 NACADA Annual Conference 2015 National Academic Advising Association

Las Vegas, NV 10/04/2015 - 10/07/2015 164

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NCTM Regional Conference & Exposition

Atlanta, GA 10/07/2015-10/09-2015

Atlantic City 10/21/2015 - 10/23/2015

Breakthrough Strategies to Teach and Counsel Troubled Youth

National Science Teachers Association

Lake Oswego, OR 10/08/2015-10/09-2015 21st Annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference

Reno, Nevada 10/22/2015 - 10/24/2015 Association of School Business Officials International Annual Meeting and Expo

Lake Buena Vista, FL 10/14/2015-10/16/2015

Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center Grapevine, Texas 10/23/2015 - 10/26/2015

AMLE 205 Annual Conference for Middle Level Education — Association for Middle Level Education

AASHE 2015 Conference & Expo — Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

Columbus, OH 10/15/2015-10/17/2015

Minneapolis, MN 10/25/2015-10/28/2015

EdSpaces 2015 (Formerly School Equipment Show)

New Orleans, LA 10/28/2015 - 10/30/2015 EDUCAUSE 2015 Annual Conference

Indianapolis, IN 10/27/2015 - 10/30/2015 66th IDA Annual Conference - The International Dyslexia Association

Grapevine, TX 10/28/2015 - 10/31/2015 66th IDA reading, Literacy & Learning Conference — The International Dyslexia Association

Grapevine, TX 10/28/2015-10/31/2015 67th Annual NCAAHPERD-SM Convention — North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sport Management

Winston-Salem, NC 10/29/2015-10/31/2015 NACAS 47th Annual Conference -

San Antonio, TX 11/01/2015 - 11/04/2015 STEMtech Conference 2015

Phoenix, AZ 11/01/2015-11/04/2015 AMLE2015 Annual Conference For Middle Level Education - Association for Middle Level Education

St. Louis, MO 11/05/2015 - 11/07/2015

82nd Annual AAEE National Conference

Texas, 2015 11/08/2015 - 11/10/2015 2015 INACOL blended and Online Learning Symposium — International Association for K-12 Online Learning

Orlando, FL 11/08/2015-11/11/2015 2015 NCTM Regional Conference Minneapolis - National Council Of Teachers of Mathematics

Minneapolis, MN 11/11/2015 - 11/13/2015 2015 NSTA Philadelphia Area Conference National Science Teachers Association

Philadelphia, PA 11/12/2015 - 11/14/2015 NAGC 62nd Annual Convention & Exhibition - National Association for Gifted Children Phoenix, AZ

11/12/2015 - 11/15/2015 95th NCSS Annual Conference National Council For The Social Studies

New Orleans, LA 11/13/2015 - 11/15/2015 LEAD Conference

11/13/2015 - 11/15/2015 Phoenix, Arizona 2015 Fall Fellows Retreat and Annual Meeting

National Academy of Sciences Building, in Washington, DC 11/11/2015 - 11/14/2015

OCTOBER 28–30, 2015 New Orleans, LA f 30+ CEU-accredited educational sessions

f Expeditionary Learning & Educational Facility Tour

f Innovative products reshaping learning spaces

f Networking fun in the Big Easy

Connect to the key stakeholders who design, equip and manage sustainable learning environments at EDspaces. Register Today at www.ed-spaces.com www.seenmagazine.us www.seenmagazine.us

2016 International Education Conference Orlando January 3-7 Join us at our 2016 International Education Conference in Orlando, at the Disney’s BoardWalk Inn! The Boardwalk is located within the Walt Disney World Resort and under 10 minutes from the Epcot Theme Park. In addition to the Education Conference, we are also hosting a Business Conference that will be held on the same days, at the same venue. One registration fee will allow you to attend both conferences.

TOPICS The Education Conference provides a forum for faculty and administrators to share proven and innovative methods in teaching at all levels of education. Topics include, but are not limited to: Accreditation

Higher Education

Arts & Humanities

International Education

Blended Education Business Education

K-12 Education

Language Education Contemporary Issues in Education Professional Development Criminal Justice Science Education Curriculum Secondary Education Distance Education Special Education E-Learning Social Sciences Early Education Teacher Education Engineering Education Teaching Methods ESL

Technology

Health Education

Tenure

TO FIND OUT MORE: www.cluteinstitute.com 303-904-4750 SouthEast Education Network SouthEast Education Network

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2015 NCTM Regional Conference Nashville - National Council Of Teachers Of Mathematics

Nashville, TN 11/18/2015 - 11/20/2015 NAEYC 2015 Annual Conference and Expo National Association For The Education Of Young Children

Orlando, FL 11/18/2015-11/21/2015 2015 NCYC - National Catholic Youth Conference

Indianapolis, IN 11/19/2015 - 11/21/2015

CCSSO 2015 Annual Policy Forum

2015 Leaning Forward Annual Conference

Charlotte, NC 11/19/2015 - 11/21/2015

Washington, DC 12/05/2015 - 12/09/2015

67th Annual NCAAHPERD Convention

National Science Teachers Association

Raleigh, NC 11/19/2015 - 11/21/2015 ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2015 Association for Career and Technical Education

New Orleans, LA 11/19/2015 - 11/22/2015 MSCHE 2015 Annual Conference -

Washington, DC 12/02/2015 - 12/04/2015

Kansas City, Missouri 12/03/2015 - 12/05/2015 2016 Clute International Education Conference

Orlando, Florida 01/03/2016 – 01/07/2016 130th AHA Annual Meeting — American Historical Association

Atlanta, GA 01/07/2016-01/10/2016 AAPT Winter Meeting 2016 — American Association of Physics Teachers

BRINGING LIBRARIANS AND EDUCATORS INTO DIALOG WITH EACH OTHER!

View details @ GeorgiaSouthern.edu/infolit

September 25-26, 2015

I INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON

GEORG A

NFORMATION

L I T ER AC Y Coastal Georgia Center, Savannah, GA

Who Should Attend a University, school and public librarians. a School teachers and faculty in any discipline. a Media specialists. a Students preparing for careers in K-20 teaching, media or library.

Jointly Hosted By • Zach S. Henderson Library • Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology • College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Department of Writing & Linguistics • College of Education • The Division of Continuing Education

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New Orleans, LA 01/09/2016-01/12/2016 FETC 2016

Orange County, FL 01/12/2016-01/15/2016 LEAD Conference

Washington, D.C. 01/29/2016 - 01/31/2016 TCEA 2016 Convention and Exposition — Texas Computer Education Association

Austin, TX 02/01/2016-02/05/2016 ATIA 2016 — Assistive Technology Industry Association

Orlando, FL 02/02/2016-02/06/2016 NASP 2016 Annual Convention —National Association of School Psychologist

New Orleans, LA 02/10/2016-02/13/2016 ATE 2016 Annual Meeting — Association of Teacher Educators

Chicago, IL 02/11/2016-02/17/2016 National Conference on Education

02/11/2016 - 02/13/2016 Phoenix, Arizona LEAD Conference

Chicago, Illinois 02/12/2016 - 02/14/2016

AUTM 2016 Annual Meeting — Association of University Technology Managers

San Diego, CA 02/14/2016-02/17/2016 2016 LDA Annual International Conference Learning Disabilities Association of America

Orlando, FL 02/15/2016-02/18/2016 AACTE 68th Annual Meeting — American Association of College for Teacher Education

Las Vegas, NV 02/23/2016-02/25/2016 NAIS Annual Conference 2016 — National Association of Independent Schools

San Francisco, CA 02/24/2016-02/26/2016 ITEEA 78th Annual Conference — International Technology and Engineering Educators Association

TESOL International Convention & Language Expo (TESOL 2016) — Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

Baltimore, MD 04/05/2016 - 04/08/2016 SHAPE America National Convention & Expo 2016 — Society of Health and Physical Educators

Minneapolis, MN 04/05/2016 - 04/09/2016 2016 AERA Annual Meeting — American Educational Research Association

Washington, DC 04/08/2016 - 04/12/2016 National School Boards Association Annual Conference

Boston, Massachusetts 04/09/2016 - 04/11/2016 Expo — Council for Exceptional Children

Washington, DC 03/02/2016-03/04/2016

Minneapolis, MN 04/13/2016 - 04/16/2016

CAMEX 2016 — Campus Market Expo

2016 NCTM Annual Meeting & Exposition — National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Houston, TX 03/04/2016-03/08/2016 EDexpo 2016

Las Vegas, NV 03/09/2016-03/11/2016 2016 NAEA National Convention — National Art Education Association

San Francisco, CA 04/13/2016 - 04/16/2016

National Council for the Social Studies 95th Annual Conference

November 13-15, 2015 New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center New Orleans, LA

Come on down the Mississippi to join NCSS in New Orleans at the 95th NCSS Annual Conference.

The city’s rich heritage and culture will be yours to experience and explore, along with more than 3,000 of your peers from across the U.S. and around the world at the nation’s largest and most comprehensive social studies professional development conference.

Learn from over 800 presentations by the leading social studies researchers and practitioners, offering content-rich, classroom-ready resources, spanning all grade levels and covering all social studies subjects.

Confirmed speakers

CEC 2016 Annual Convention & Expo — Council for Exceptional Children

• Popular travel writer Rick Steves

St. Louis, MO 04/13/2016 - 04/16/2016

• Dr. Terrence Roberts, a member of the Little Rock Nine

Chicago, IL 03/17/2016-03/19/2016 CUE Conference 2016 — Computer Using Educators

Palm Springs, CA 03/17/2016-03/19/2016 ESS2016 — Eastern Sociological Society

Boston, MA 03/17/2016 - 03/21/2016 64th Annual NSTA National Conference — National Science Teachers Association

Nashville, TN 03/31/2016 - 04/032016 ASCD 71st Annual Conference & Exhibit Show

Atlanta, GA 04/02/2016 - 04/04/2016

• Noted Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney • The first joint U.S. appearance of Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of President Ttuman, and Masahiro Sasaki, brother of Sadako Sasaki, Hiroshima victim and subject of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes • A joint appearance of “Thomas Jefferson” and “Napoleon Bonaparte” discussing the legacy of the

Louisiana Purchase The NCSS Annual Conference is the place for social studies education professionals to convene, learn, network, and engage with colleagues. Share the latest knowledge, ideas, research and expertise, promote the best practices, and help to advocate for and strengthen the profession of social studies education by attending the 95th NCSS Annual Conference.

Register Now! www.socialstudies.org/conference

www.seenmagazine.us

SouthEast Education Network

Fall 2015

167

Recommended Education Resources 2015 SRAPPA 99

Grand Western Tours 136

SC Aquarium 132

Ameristar 106

Greensboro College 9

School Bus Training 113

Andrews University 15

Guardian 63,107

SchoolBelles 74

Assessment Services 91

Haberman Educational 20

Scientific Learning 27

Bright Start Family Workshops 37

Hampton VA 157

Sneaky Chef 127

Bristlebots 95

HealthWorld 121

Southeastern University 66

Busch Gardens 159

Henricus Historical Park 159

Soynut Butter 122

Bytes of Learning 75

Inovonics BC

Standards for Success 21,39

California University of Pennsylvania 41

International Conference on Information Literacy 166

Starkist 123

International Literacy Association IFC

STEMsocks 95

Campbellsville University 67 Carolina Renaissance Festival 130 Carowinds 134 Center for the Puppetry Arts 142 Charthouse 58 Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem 130 Clute Institute, The 165 College Football Hall of Fame 139 Colonial Williamsburg 161 Columbia College 29 Commercial Window Shield 112 COMP TIA Skills Boost 89 Country Music Hall of Fame 153 Deeper Dive Learning 37 Dorcy Fundraising 82 Ed Spaces 165 Educaching 86 Education Framework 62 Emporia State University 25 Epilog Laser 87 Feiner Supply 117 Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility 121 Fit & Fresh 81 FSR Huddleview 13 Gardner Webb 15 Gatorland 151 Georgia Aquarium 140 Goalbusters 81 Golden Corral 140 Graceland University 71

168

Fall 2015

SouthEast Education Network

Jefferson CVB 155 John Hopkins University Kennedy Space Center 97 Lafayette Travel 155 Lawrence Technological University 11 Leadership Infusion 33 Legoland/Madame Tussauds/ Orlando Sealife Aquarium 147 Leslie University 65 LiveSchool 114 Lock Haven University 28 Loggerhead Marine 150 Medieval Times 145 Melmark 119 Mendez Foundation 19 National Center for Civil and Human Rights 144 National Council for Social Studies 167 National Writing Project 60 Net Learning Solutions 39 Newseum 163 New York Institute of Technology 26 One If By Land Tours 131 Origo/FleetForward 113 Patriots Point 136 Peru State 28 Phone Tree 90 Piccadilly Restaurants 163 Professional Learning Board 32 Quick Panic Release 110

Steffi Products 113 STOP!T 115 SunGard K-12 101 Surfside Beach Resort 134 TAC ONE Consulting 107 Teen Science Cafe 61 Travel Insurance Center 137 Troy University 153 U.S. Apple 7 U.S. ARMY 46 Universal Orlando 149 University of Alabama, The 70 University of Central Missouri 69 University of South Dakota 1 Vanderbilt Peabody College 13 Video Insight 109 VIF International 36 Visit Gainesville Florida 150 Visit Graceland 153 Visit Norfolk IBC William Peace University 93 Wise Identity 98 Worlds Finest Chocolate 83 You Science 5 YummyHealth 125

DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES April 21 – 24, 2016

LET PERFORMING ARTS CONSULTANTS HELP YOU ORCHESTRATE AN UNFORGETTABLE TRIP! Join us in Norfolk for a weekend filled with outstanding entertainment and performance opportunities for your students. Exciting events include the Virginia International Tattoo and the Parade of Nations along with Choral, Jazz and Instrumental groups performing and much more.

Call 1-800-USA-FEST or email mike@usafest.org to start planning today.

visitnorfolktoday.com 1-800-368-3097

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